


Let Me Be Your Lighthouse

by Shaylybaby2032



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Archangel Gabriel (Supernatural), Demons, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, Human Gabriel (Supernatural), Not Canon Compliant, Physical Abuse, Possessive Gabriel, Protective Gabriel, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-01-23 04:26:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 61,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18542239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shaylybaby2032/pseuds/Shaylybaby2032
Summary: A Duke of Hell wants to use Gabriel for his own nefarious plans and makes a deal with the Empty Enitity to bring the Archangel back from the dead. But, when Gabriel escapes, the Duke must reach deep into his arsenal to try and track him down.Not long after Gabriel's great escape, Sam and Dean race to save a fellow hunter who has been captured by demons and, after rescuing her, convince the woman to let them help her get rid of the demons hot on her heels.While the two occurrences seem unrelated at first, they may have more in common than any of them realize.





	1. Unexpected Return

 

 

  

_"A wise man once told me, 'family don't end in blood.' But it doesn't start there either. Family cares about you, not what you can do for them. Family's there; for the good, bad, all of it. They got your back, even when it hurts."_

_-Dean Winchester_

 

**_Chapter One: Unexpected Return_ **

 

The full moon hung low in the night sky over the large patch of deserted dirt in Fort Collins, Colorado that had once been an attempt at a cornfield. The former owner of the land hadn't expected this particular patch of land to be so deprived of the nutrients required to grow grass, much less the crop he had staked his financial well-being upon. He had become quite aware of the losing battle when the ground had all but spit out the yellow kernels as black and hollow husks. If he had been aware of the door that laid deep below the surface of the ground he had been trying to grow the plants in, he would probably had gone running for the hills, or the nearest church.

 

Unfortunately, there was no way he could have known that the very energy seeping into the ground making it volatile would find its way in to his own mind during the single year he spent trying to make the decision to dump all of his money into the plot a worthwhile choice. There was no way he could have known that exactly one year after he first set foot on to the place that he would be sitting in the local mental institution staring blankly at a wall mumbling about a void no human was ever meant to see.

 

When he died less than three weeks later, the bank had put a “For Sale” sign on the land. It stuck up from the ground until the elements faded the bright writing away, and it became one of those properties that fell through the cracks as it shuffled around in the system of more appealing purchases.

 

That was, until almost a decade later, when a man in an expensive five-piece suit walked into the bank asking to speak with the president of the establishment. The man was charming enough to disarm anyone he was speaking with in a way that, had anyone really been paying attention to the ease in which it happened, would have made them fear for their very souls. They hadn't noticed, however, and before long the engaging man with professionally short midnight hair and piercing, dark brown eyes had the female bank president completely enthralled.

 

It wasn't the sharp and attractive features of his face that drew her in. No, she was far too smart to be taken in by a pretty face and a fancy suit. Years of dealing with business men and women had sharpened her skill of rifling through bullshit and pipe dreams. It was his confidence that drew her in at first, and it slowly mixed in with an attribute she couldn't quite describe. After having checked the credentials he had given her, she discovered he had more than enough money to pay the offer he had presented to her for the property. It was an offer that was more than quadruple the listing price.

 

While she couldn't see the appeal of the dead piece of land that sat on the outskirts of her town hidden by brush and now overgrown woods, she had finally accepted his offer. When he smiled his approval, her stomach dropped to her feet. The gesture had sent a sense of unnerving through her that had her hair standing on end, and could only be described as _wicked._ He hadn't given her a chance to go back on her acceptance of his offer, and he grasped her hand in a handshake to seal the deal. She had fought with everything she had not to jerk away when she came in contact with his cold skin. The connection made an overwhelming sense of dread crash over her so hard that she could have sworn the light in the room hit his eyes in way that made them appear to be deep black orbs, threatening to drag her down.

 

As the suited man walked out onto the moonlit field, that same wicked smile was painted on his face. After all these years he had found the doorway, one that he was sure God had loathed having to make after his Archangel had fallen and created those first dark beings. His eyes flashed to black again as he pulled a glass jar of dark red liquid from a pocket inside his suit jacket. He walked in a circle as he poured the thick substance onto the ground in the shape of sigils that predated even the earliest Sumerian cuneiform. All the while he chanted a language long since dead enough to not be in any written form. When he had completed the circle, the ground beneath him began to rumble and he stepped outside of the markings just as they began to glow with an eerie black hue.

 

Thunder rolled above his head and lightning lit up the sky as the dirt within the circle began to shift and swirl. A thick tar like substance started to bubble up from the dirt, jerking and spasming as it was drawn to the center like metal to a magnet. The substance pooled and started to build on itself, slowly forming a humanoid shape. With another crash of thunder, the vile liquid crashed back into the ground to reveal an exact copy of the suited man standing in the center of the circle with pure loathing etched into its features.

 

“Eligos,” the copy growled, addressing the man that summoned it. “To what do I owe the annoyance of being called on by a _mighty_ Duke of Hell.” its voice held a disgusted tone as it mocked the being in front of it. “Had I been sleeping when you called I would have dragged you down to my domain on sheer principle, so I advise you to tread lightly.”

 

Eligos bowed respectfully as he spoke. “Oh great being of the Empty, please, pardon my intrusion, but, I am in need of your assistance.”

 

“MY ASSISTANCE?!” the Empty Entity barked. “WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I WOULD WASTE MY TIME WITH THE LIKES OF YOU?!”

 

“Because I will make it worth your while,” Eligos said cooly, not even phased by the primal shout that had come from the being in front of him as he straightened his posture. “I have discovered that you know a good deal when one presents itself.”

 

The Empty Entity regarded the Duke with interest, though it's ire was still prominent. “What is it that you want, Eligos. My patience is already thin. Don't make it worse.”

 

“The Archangel, Gabriel.”

 

The Empty threw it's head back in a spurt of laughter so sinister that the wildlife around the area, had there been any dumb enough to wander close, would have scurried away in haste. “Why would I even entertain the idea of freeing an Archangel?”

 

“Because I offer two of my sixty legions of demonic soldiers for him.”

 

The Empty scoffed at his bargain. “Twelve thousand _demon_ souls for an _ARCHANGEL_?! Even one as broken as Gabriel is worth far more than that.”

 

“Then name your price,” Eligos insisted, his calm exterior never faltering.

 

“What use could you have for an Archangel with low grace and a hefty dose of PTSD? Your superior really did quite the number on him. But, you know that. Asmodeus confided in you and you alone about his pet, among _other things._ ”

 

For the first time Eligos’ still presentation faltered as his eyebrow arched in questioning.

 

“I receive the memories of each being that comes to my domain,” the Empty explained before he could ask. “Asmodeus was sick, even by my standards. I will only ask one more time why you want one of his broken toys.”

 

“Gabriel's low grace makes him vulnerable and open to... _persuasion_.”

 

“I see. You understand how devastatingly wrong darkening an angel can go, correct?”

 

“I have the means to control him once he's mine.”

 

The Empty crossed it's arms over it's chest as the being contemplated the request made by the Duke. “I want half.”

 

“HALF?!” Eligos spat, his tranquil demeanor completely falling. “You want _HALF_ of my army?!”

 

“Yes,” The Empty confirmed. “A hundred and eighty thousand demon souls should fit the bill.”

 

Eligos snarled as he bit back on the expletive words on the tip of his tongue. He took a second to center himself again before he spoke. “Deal.”

 

“Not quite. You still need to...what's the saying? Ah, yes, _sweeten the pot.”_

 

“What else could you possibly want?!”

 

“Oh, you know exactly what I want.”

 

Realization crashed down on to the Duke and he glared at the entity before him. “You know I can't give you that.”

 

“I'm well aware of the rules, Eligos. I am, however, the one that had to agree to them all those eons ago with that pompous idiot that plagued the universe with his perverse creations. I am also very much conscious of your connection with what I want. If anyone can make it happen, it's you. Or...do you doubt your control over the abomination?”

 

“No!” Eligos spat. “She will do as I say. But, only after I have Gabriel how I want him.”

 

“Fair enough,” the Empty said as it closed the distance between them and extended its hand toward the demon Duke.

 

Eligos grasped his offered hand and shook. Thunder crashed as lightning streaked the sky, the sound causing the ground to shake. Swirling black smoke filled the air above their heads as the sound of desperate screaming ripped around the area. With another clap of thunder, the black cloud was sucked into the circle on the ground and disappeared beneath the dirt.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel sucked in a harsh breath as his eyes shot open. Pain seared through his skull as his blurry vision started to focus on... _nothing_. A complete black void surrounded him, yet somehow he laid on a sturdy surface. He jerked to a sitting position as he clutched at his chest, searching for the wound that he was sure had ended his life. He was shocked to find his body free of blood or the hole he knew he should have. He was certain he had died. Wasn't he?

 

“Yes, you are definitely dead,” a voice drawled from behind him.

 

A voice he knew well, and the sound of it took him completely off guard as he scrambled to his feet to whirl around. He then came face to face with... himself?

 

“What the hell?” Gabriel whispered.

 

“Not exactly,” he watched the other him say. “Just your friendly neighborhood primordial being.”

 

It finally dawned on the Archangel with whom he was speaking to. “You're the Empty Entity.”

 

“ _DING DING DING!_ Give the angel a prize!”

 

“Why am I awake?” Gabriel asked, then rolled his eyes as a thought occurred to him. “Winchesters. What have those idiots broken now?”

 

“Oh, trust me angel, you are going to _wish_ it was those boys that bargained for your broken being.”

 

The next thing Gabriel's mind registered was the feeling of being thrown to the ground as his body forcefully coughed up the dirt that had somehow found its way into his lungs. Slowly he started to realize there was a breeze. There had been nothing but stillness in the Empty and the sudden change had his head jerking up even as his coughing persisted.

 

He was back on Earth.

 

His Earth.

 

He was alive.

 

Why?!

 

That's when fire erupted in a circle around him, flames he quickly recognized as holy fire. A growl rose from his chest as he pushed himself to his feet, facing the figure that was now illuminated by the flames. Rage rushed through the Archangel's system at the sight of the Demon Duke.

 

“Eligos,” he snarled.

 

“Gabriel!” Eligos retorted with mock excitement. “So nice to see you up and moving, though I think I preferred you chained with your mouth sewn shut.”

 

“I swear I'll incinerate you where you stand-”

 

“And how do you plan on doing that while you are trapped in holy fire with low grace?”

 

Gabriel's eyes flicked up to the sky at the dark storm clouds that had moved in. He turned back to the Duke with a smirk on his face. “I do believe it looks like rain.”

 

As the last word left his mouth, mother nature smiled on him and the first drops of rain started to fall. They landed on the fire with a sizzle that caused the flames to jump.

 

“Only a matter of time,” Gabriel continued. “Even low on grace, I'll have no problem doing away with you.”

 

Eligos barked out a laugh as he gestured to the Enochian symbols around the outside of the fire that the Archangel had missed in his anger. He studied the symbols closely for a moment. They had been altered with dark magic, a sinister power that he hadn't seen since before Lucifer had been locked away. His stomach dropped as he realized what the Duke intended to do and his eyes shot back to him.

 

“You see, Gabriel,” Eligos started, “that fire won't matter once I've darkened what little grace still resides within you, because then you will be mine to control.”

 

“NO!” Gabriel shouted, frantically looking around for a way to deter the Duke's plan.

 

“Yes!” Eligos said as an evil cackle started to flow from him.

 

He started to chant in a language that was a mix of Enochian and Latin, causing the sigils around Gabriel to glow and the holy fire to roar to a size that towered over his head. Immense pressure punched into his chest, sending him to his knees. He could feel the magic seeping through the fire and into his vessel. He fought against the parasitic force with every ounce of strength he had, but he could feel it invading into the very sense of who and what he was. Could feel it twisting around his grace, forcing the shadow of his large wings to blaze forth into existence. The flames licked and singed at his shadowed feathers and an idea formed through the suffocating pain it caused. He had no choice. He couldn't allow himself to become what this magic was trying to drag him towards.

 

He _wouldn't_ allow it.

 

With a renewed strength he contributed to the pure adrenaline of the moment, he reached behind his back and grasped at his own wing. His fingers knotted into the soft shadowed feathers, and with one last breath to accept what he was about to do, he pulled. With twisting and wrenching motions he jerked on his wing with all his might, the pain exploding into his being and blurring his vision. A feeling like magma being poured into his vessel stampeded through his body, making his throat constrict and his feathered appendages jerk of their own accord almost like they were trying to escape. He was vaguely aware of Eligos’ failed attempts at coming through the amped up holy fire to stop him, but when the base of his wing separated from not only his vessel but his very being, a scream of agony ripped from his lips that sent the ground trembling. The blur of his vision turned to complete darkness for a split second before he pulled himself back from the edge of unconscious by pure will alone. He wouldn't succumb and let this demon win. Not again! Not ever again! Eligos crashed to the ground as Gabriel started the same process with his other wing. When it, too, was torn from him, both wings burned to ash as his grace shot out from the gaping wounds in his back. The ash and grace swirled around him, dousing the flames with a force that sent the Duke flying through the air out of sight and leveling everything within a twenty mile radius.

 

There was silence, then, as his grace shot into the sky and vanished.

 

Gabriel was left lying flat on his stomach, gasping for air. The wounds on his back had somehow been healed, but he still felt the agonizing emptiness from what he had done. His skin was covered in a thick layer of sweat as nausea rolled through his stomach threatening to spill the bile that his stomach now created. His body trembled as he forced himself to roll to his back, trying to control his breath and attempting to grasp what he now was.

 

_Human._

 


	2. Demons, Demons, Demons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a warning, there is physical/verbal abuse in this chapter.

_**Chapter 2: Demons, Demons, Demons** _

 

 

Dean Winchester lounged on his bed in his room at the bunker, watching some mindless show on his TV. The program hadn't really held his interest but provided a background noise as he dozed off. Things had been unusually quiet on the hunting front and he welcomed the much needed break that he had received. However, his peace was short lived. A loud knock echoed through his room and he glared at the door as it opened and Sam walked in.

 

“Get your gear,” his little brother said. “We have to head to Jody's.”

 

“Why?” Dean asked, not ready to leave the comfort of his bed.

 

“She's got a string of murders that turned out to be demons. The latest victim is a hunter that she and Claire were working with.” Sam explained quickly.

 

Dean groaned as he pushed himself off the mattress. “I'll be ready in ten. Tell Cas to get ready too.”

 

“He's not here.”

 

“Where the hell is he?”

 

“He took off early this morning. Said he had something to take care of.”

 

“Well, that's vague.”

 

Sam shrugged as he turned to exit. “We'll hear from him soon enough. I'll meet you in the garage.”

 

* * *

 

 

Castiel pulled his old Lincoln Continental into the parking lot of a no star motel in the middle of nowhere Colorado, parking in front of one of the rooms down close to the end. He stared at the dingy green door with a rusted brass number 115 nailed to the surface diagonally. He shut off his engine as he tried to take a calming breath, but the uncertainty of what laid behind that wooden door had his anxiety at an all-time high.

 

He had tried to ignore the desperate prayer at first, thinking it was just his own mind playing tricks on him, because there was no way it could be coming from who he thought it was, and especially not in that ‘condition.’ The prayer had become insistant, however, and after almost a week and a half, he couldn't ignore it anymore. The angel had gotten in his car and sped toward where the call was originating from. After making sure his angel blade was posed ready to drop as soon as he needed it, he exited his vehicle and walked to the door. Taking another deep breath, he raised his hand to knock, but before he could make contact the door swung open.

 

Castiel was met with a pair of golden eyes that quickly darted around the angel to check their surroundings before they met his blue ones, taking the very breath from his lungs.

 

“It  _ is _ you,” Castiel breathed.

 

“Hey bro,” Gabriel greeted.

 

“How..Why…What…?” Castiel stammered, trying to focus on which question he needed an answer to first. 

 

“You should come in,” Gabriel replied as he moved to the side to allow his brother entry to the room. “We have a lot to talk about.”

 

* * *

 

 

It was close to midnight when the Winchesters rolled into Jody Mills’ driveway. By the time they had gotten there, Claire and Jody had, thanks to the use of GPS and cell phone towers, tracked down where the demons may have been holding their fellow hunter. As they prepared their rescue, Jody and Claire had told them what they knew about the case.

 

They had explained that nearly a week ago, people had started to vanish at various places in town and turning up with their throats slit the next day. Jody had thought it was a run-of-the-mill psycho, but when the third body had been found, Jody had also found sulfur at the crime scene. She had also discovered a woman claiming to be an FBI agent that turned out to be a hunter named Zora who had been tracking the demons committing these crimes for the past few weeks. They started working together, adding Claire to the team as well. On the day Jody had made the call to Sam, she, Zora, and Claire had cornered the demons, and a fight ensued that ended with Zora being captured. That was when they decided they needed back up.

 

Claire had discovered signs that led them to believe the demons were holding Zora in a new housing development that was still under construction just outside of Sioux Falls. The four of them had gotten there as fast as they could and were now making their way through the rows of half-constructed houses stealthily as they kept their eyes peeled for any indication of the demons or the huntress they were there to save.

 

Sam and Dean led the way with guns drawn and angel blades at the ready, the two women behind them armed in the same way. Screams suddenly pierced through the quiet of the night and all four hunters took off in a wordless agreement to follow the sound. They came to a stop in front of one of the cookie cutter houses when they spotted three men standing at the front door, eyes turning inky black when they spotted the hunters. The demons charged, starting a fight that ended with angel blades through their chests.

 

“Come on!” Dean exclaimed as he threw the third lifeless demon to the ground. “We gotta get inside!”

 

Before the words had even left his mouth, Sam was kicking in the front door and rushing inside with the other three hot on his heels. They had prepared themselves for another fight, however when they entered the house they were hit with a stillness that sent a shiver down their spines. A groan of pain punctuated the silence and four heads swiveled to find a woman lying on the floor of what would eventually be a living room. 

 

“Zora!” Claire shouted as she and Jody ran to her.

 

They both dropped to their knees beside her as Jody pulled her into her lap. Sam pulled a flashlight from his pocket and shined it onto the huntress’ unconscious body. Claire gasped at the sight of her. Zora's blonde hair had so much of her own blood and dirt in it the young woman could barely make out the purple highlights in her golden locks. Her face was a bloodied mess covered in ugly bruises and cuts from where the demons had used her as a punching bag. Her arms held the same dark marks and slashes with blood that had spilled on to her clothing.

 

“We need to get her to a hospital boys!” Jody declared.

 

The Winchesters nodded their agreement as Dean handed his brother his weapons and scooped the beaten girl up into his arms. The four quickly got to their feet and turned to leave, but were stopped cold when they saw another man with black eyes standing in the doorway smiling at them. His long, shaggy red hair swayed in the breeze from the open door as his head slowly turned to take them all in.

 

“Well, well, well. It appears I've been discovered by the infamous Winchesters,” he said mockingly.

 

“Yeah, and who the hell are you?” Sam demanded.

 

“The name's Adonis, and unlike my idiotic co-workers, I know when I'm outnumbered.” Adonis inclined his head to the unconscious Zora in Dean's arms. “Tell the hunter bitch I'll be seeing her.”

 

“I don't think so!” Sam shouted, and he and Claire hurled forward to attack the demon.

 

By the time they got there, however, their blades sliced through open air. 

 

Adonis had vanished.

 

* * *

 

 

Castiel sped down the almost empty interstate toward the bunker, every so often glancing at his cell phone on the dash and then to his brother sitting quietly in the passenger's seat next to him. He had yet to call Sam and Dean about Gabriel being alive and what had happened to him that made him human. He honestly wasn't sure how to even begin the tale, because as many answers as he had now, he had just as many questions. Telling Sam and Dean would just add more questions to the pile and he needed time to get his head straight.

 

“Seriously Cas,” Gabriel said in exasperation as he saw his brother's eyes flick to the phone again, “stop being a teenager and call them. I'm guessing it will be a lot better if they are prepared instead of me just walking into the bunker.”

 

“It's not going to go well either way,” Castiel snapped. “You have a Duke of Hell after you, Gabriel!”

 

“You don't think I know that?! I didn't rip my grace out just for the hell of it! Do you know how much that hurts?!”

 

Castiel sighed as he scrubbed a hand over his face. “We have to find where your grace ended up before Eligos does, because if he finds it and gets his hands on you-”

 

“I KNOW, CAS!” Gabriel huffed his frustration as he peered out his window. “Believe me, I know.”

 

* * *

 

 

Sam, Dean, and Claire sat in the ER’s waiting room at Sioux Falls General Hospital, not so patiently waiting for Jody to come back from speaking with the doctor about Zora's condition. They had arrived at the hospital two hours prior with the still unconscious hunter. The nurses had taken her back immediately and after a few minutes Jody had left in search of Alex to see if she could give her any information.

 

Just as Dean was standing, ready to go to the nurses station to demand some information of his own, Jody came through a set of double doors with a now conscious, and annoyed looking, Zora at her side. They walked quickly toward the brothers and Claire, bypassing them and heading toward the entrance. With the huntress’ wounds having been tended to and her hair and body cleaned, the trio that had been waiting for news was relieved that Zora's condition wasn't as bad as they had feared. She was still banged up with cuts and bruises on her face and arms, but none that wouldn't heal relatively quickly.

 

“Zora, please, stay!” Jody pleaded as they went through the doors with the other three following. “We can help you!”

 

“Help me?!” Zora exclaimed as she whirled around with her crystal blue eyes widening in disbelief. “Why the hell would you want to do that, Jody?! This bastard wants  _ me _ ! I'm not sticking around and letting anyone else in this town get hurt!”

 

“Now that we know what we are up against, we won't let that happen! We can do this together!” Jody tried to assure her.

 

“No! I'm doing this alone like I always do!” Zora said, visibly trying not to raise her voice at the Sheriff.

 

“Yeah, because that worked out so well for you tonight,” Dean snarked as he put two and two together and realized that Zora intended to go after Adonis on her own.

 

The huntress turned angry eyes toward the older Winchester. She may have had respect for Jody, but she didn't know him. “And who the hell are you?”

 

“I'm Dean,” he said, and inclined his head towards his brother. “My brother, Sam. I happen to be the guy that carried your unconscious ass out of that house tonight.”

 

Zora's brow shot up as Dean introduced himself and his brother. “Sam and Dean?” she questioned. “Last name wouldn't happen to be Winchester would it?”

 

Sam and Dean shared an uncertain look before they turned back to her.

 

“You've heard of us?” Sam asked.

 

“Any hunter worth their rock salt has heard of the legendary Winchesters,” Zora said with a chuckle and walked toward the brothers, extending her hand. “Zora Townsend. Nice to meet you.”

  
  


* * *

 

 

“So you really do pal around with an angel?” Zora asked Sam in astonishment as she watched him load the trunk of the Impala. “What's that like? Most angels I've met have been complete dicks.”

 

Sam chuckled as he shut the trunk and turned to look at her. She was perched on the hood of her 2015 maroon Chevy Malibu. “Most are,” Sam agreed. “But Cas isn't. He's family. I think you'll like him.”

 

It had taken more than a little bit of time, but with some help from Jody and surprisingly Claire, the Winchester brothers had convinced Zora to let them help her. She had tried to get them to change their mind, telling them that the demon had had a hit out on her for a few weeks now because she had ended up killing another demon that was apparently close to Adonis. Now he wanted revenge, and instead of deterring the Winchesters, it had sparked their protective side and each brother had been even more determined to help their fellow hunter. They even went so far as to offer a room at the bunker for her to stay in until they could track Adonis down.

 

She had, of course, refused at first. However, “no” wasn't an answer the Winchesters were willing to except. After a solid hour of going back and forth over the issue, the huntress finally conceded and agreed to follow the brothers back to their bunker.

 

“Cas?” she questioned with a raised brow. “The angel has a nickname?”

 

“Like I said, he's family,” Sam reiterated as he came around to lean on the back passenger's side door of the Impala. “You got any family out there?”

 

He immediately caught the way she tensed at the question.

 

“My dad,” she answered as she averted her gaze to the cement of the driveway.

 

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-”

 

“No, it's OK,” she reassured him as she brought her eyes back to his with a smile painted back on her face. “We all gotta get to know each other, right? We are apparently roommates now.” She paused as she thought on her next words. “Let's just say he's not the most supportive or friendly guy in the world.”

 

Sam nodded slowly, not sure what to say or even if he should say anything. He was saved from the awkward conversation when Dean came rushing out the front door of Jody's house. The younger Winchester was relieved to see his brother, that is until he absorbed the frantic look in his eyes. The worry that had stolen over Sam's features had Zora focusing on the elder Winchester as well.

 

“We have to go.  _ Now _ !” Dean said as he made his way to them.

 

“Dean, what's going on?!” Sam demanded.

 

“Cas just called. Sam, Gabriel's alive!”

 

The deafening and shocked silence that settled between the brothers for a moment had Zora jumping down from the hood of her car.

 

“Guys, who’s Gabriel?”

 

* * *

 

 

Zora stared ahead at the tail lights belonging to the Impala, both hands gripping her steering wheel as she worked through the story that Sam had told her. He glanced over to her from the passenger's seat of her Malibu, trying to gauge her reaction.

 

“You're pretty quiet over there,” Sam said cautiously.

 

She glanced over to him for a moment with an incredulous look before she focused back to the road. “Sorry, I'm still trying to work through an Archangel pretending to be a Norse god in an attempt at some insane witness protection program.” She paused for a moment. “Porn stars?! Really?!” She shot another fleeting gaze at him long enough to see him nod. “Then he's tortured for seven years, in hell...fuck, I don't even want to do the math on that one. He escapes, kills Asmodeus, then goes on some Kill Bill style revenge tirade against Loki and his sons just to end up getting killed by  _ another world's Michael _ .” She saw Sam nod again out of her peripheral vision. “And now he's miraculously alive again and in yet  _ another _ fucked up situation. Only now he's  _ human _ ? How did that even happen?!”

 

“Dean said Cas didn't really go into much detail over the phone, but it's not the first time we've known of an angel ripping their own grace out,” Sam explained.

 

Zora's mouth opened and closed a few times as her brain tried to choose an appropriate response. “Are you sure you guys want me and my baggage around? I mean, whatever is going on with this has to be much bigger than some demon after some random hunter.”

 

“We're good multitaskers,” Sam said, shooting her a grin. 

 

“If you say so, but I don't think the angels will be terribly thrilled about the idea.”

 

“Everything will be fine,” Sam assured her. “Dean is filling Cas in on what went down in Sioux Falls as we speak.”

 

Zora chuckled to herself, deciding it was best not to argue the point anymore and just let it be. Soon enough, they would all see just how well things would or wouldn't work out.

 

* * *

 

 

Castiel and Gabriel had made it to the bunker long before the Winchesters and their guest, but when Dean had called to say that they had crossed into the Lebanon city limits the two had chosen to wait for them in the war room. Gabriel sat in one of the chairs with his feet propped up on the map table as he watched his little brother pace the length of the room. Castiel had voiced his wariness of the young woman that Dean had told them about and his concern had only mounted once they were about to meet her.

 

“Are you really that worried about her?” Gabriel asked as Castiel finally halted his movements and leaned against the iron staircase. 

 

“You're not?” he grumbled in return.

 

“She's a hunter, Cas!”

 

“That just so happened to show up with demons after her around the same time you did! What if she's being watched?!”

 

“Do you really think Sam and Dean didn't take precautions for that? Hell, Dean had Sam test her with salt, silver,  _ and _ holy water while she was unconscious on the way to the hospital.”

 

Castiel simply glared at his brother, to which Gabriel rolled his eyes and placed his feet back on the floor. “I'm not saying we give her the keys to the castle. By all means, keep an eye on her. I'm just saying, give her a chance before you smite her. From what Dean says, she just needs some help right now.”

 

Castiel opened his mouth to respond, however, as he did, Dean's voice rang through the bunker from the garage.

 

“We're home!”

 

“We're in the war room!” Castiel called back.

 

As Gabriel stood from his chair, Sam and Dean entered with Zora trailing behind them, almost like she was using their bodies to hide behind. When the brothers’ eyes settled on Gabriel they were both silent for a moment as they took in the former Archangel alive in front of them. Sam was the first to make a move and crossed the room to, much to Gabriel's surprise, embrace him. He briefly, and awkwardly, returned Sam's gesture.

 

“It's really good to see you, Gabriel,” Sam said as he stepped aside.

 

“Yeah, it is,” Dean agreed as he strode forward with his hand extended. “We can't thank you enough for what you did for us,” he continued as Gabriel accepted his handshake.

 

“Yeah, you're welcome,” Gabriel said, slightly taken aback by their appreciation.

 

When the brothers had moved to greet the former Archangel it had put Zora straight into Castiel's line of sight, and he suddenly had a pang of guilt for being so suspicious. The bruises and cuts that littered her body drove home that his brother may have been right about her needing their help. Zora looked up to meet the angel's gaze and gave an uncertain smile.

 

“Right!” Dean said, catching the nonverbal exchange between the two. “Guys this is Zora Townsend. Zora, Cas and Gabriel.”

 

Zora nodded her acknowledgement as Dean pointed to them in turn. “Nice to meet you guys,” she said.

 

Castiel walked up to her, and she visibly stopped herself from taking a step back. “Those bruises look painful. I can heal them if you want.” 

 

She nodded her consent and the angel placed two fingers to her forehead. Zora gasped when she felt the tingling warmth spread through her body quickly.

 

“There,” Castiel said as he lowered his hand. “I also healed some internal bleeding in your abdomen. It appeared to be a bit older than your other wounds.”

 

“Uh..yeah,” she stammered. “Must have been from the last time I saw them.”

 

She quickly averted her eyes from Castiel's gaze to find Gabriel very obviously checking her out.

 

“Damn, Sugar, you clean up nice!” he said, causing the mouths of the other three men to drop open.

 

Zora narrowed her eyes at the former Archangel. “Is that supposed to be an attempt at flirting? If so, you kinda suck at it.”

 

“No,” Gabriel replied with a smirk. “That was just an observation. Trust me, if I was  _ flirting _ you'd know it.”

 

“Alright then!” Sam interjected, taking his opportunity to diffuse the situation before it escalated. “Come on Zora, I'll give you the grand tour and show you where you'll be sleeping.”

 

Zora dragged her gaze from the former Archangel to meet Sam's and let him lead her from the war room with Dean following behind them. Gabriel chuckled to himself as he turned back to his little brother and was met with a stern look from the angel.

 

“What?!” Gabriel asked.

 

Castiel simply rolled his eyes and shook his head.

 

* * *

 

 

Once the Winchester brothers had shown Zora around and helped get her settled in, the rest of the day had been spent in the library behind laptop screens and in old dusty lore books. Sam, Dean, and Zora searched for any and all information they could find on Eligos and Adonis, and Gabriel and Castiel scoured for any signs of the grace the former Archangel had ripped from himself. The latter of the two proved much less fruitful. 

 

Gabriel and Castiel had filled in the gaps of the lore books for the hunters on the knowledge they possessed of the demons. Of the four Dukes of Hell, Eligos was the only one who remained, and he was a demon of war. They had gone on to explain that the Duke had had a hand in every war that had happened on Earth since Lucifer fell in some form or fashion, and was rumored to have his own army of sixty legions of demons at his disposal. He also thrived on destruction and seeing soldiers fall in battle. His plan to bring Gabriel back and darken his grace would have given the Duke his own personal, and reusable, nuclear warhead. 

 

Adonis, while still more powerful that your average demon, was nowhere near as high on the totem pole as the Duke. The information they held on him was much more sparse than the other, but they were not aware of any connection he had to Eligos. That didn't mean, however, that they could assume he didn't know about Eligos wanting Gabriel. They were positive that every demon in existence was aware of the hit on the former Archangel by now, and if they spotted him word would surely get back to the Duke.

 

Beyond that marginal amount of information, they had found nothing else on either demon. Hours passed and frustrations mounted until Dean slammed the book he had been reading closed, making the others jump in their seats.

 

“I need a break,” he grumbled as he rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands.

 

“I second that,” Zora said as she leaned back in her chair and glanced at the clock on the wall. “I haven't had any sleep in like two days. Well, other than being knocked out, but I don't really think that counts.”

 

“Definitely doesn't count,” Sam agreed as he shut his laptop. “I'm pretty beat too, to be honest.”

 

“Yeah, me too,” Gabriel said as he stood to stretch. “This being human thing sucks.”

 

“You all should get some rest,” Castiel suggested. “I'll continue here and catch everyone up in the morning.”

 

None had it in them to argue with the angel and, slowly, they gathered their things and headed off to their respective rooms.

 

* * *

 

 

Zora had decided last minute to shower before she laid down to sleep, and as she exited the bathroom she heard the faint, but distinctive, sound of soft snoring coming from three rooms near her own. Quietly, she made her way to the room Sam and Dean had given her and shut the door as she entered. As she placed her messenger bag full of her clothes next to her bed, the cell phone sitting on the nightstand buzzed. She picked it up to find a message from an “unknown number.”

 

_ We need to talk. _

 

She sighed as she sat the phone back down and began to pull her shoes back on. She knew exactly who the message was from, and it caused a feeling of dread to settle over her. She had hoped he would wait until the next day to contact her. She knew better than to keep him waiting. As soon as her shoes were on, she slipped her phone into the pocket of her violet fleece pajama bottoms and made her way back into the hallway. Listening intently for any sign of Castiel, she made her way to the garage and slipped outside.

 

Despite the warmth of the summer night, she felt a chill settle over her as she walked to where Sam had pointed out that the protective warding of the bunker ended. She waited, standing with her arms crossed over her chest until she heard a twig snap next to her. She whirled around to see Adonis gazing at her with a smile on his face. A breath of relief escaped her as she returned his smile.

 

“You're not who I was expecting,” Zora said as her body relaxed.

 

“He's on his way,” Adonis told her as he stepped closer to her and gently reached out to take her chin between his thumb and pointer finger, carefully turning her head from side to side. “The angel healed your injuries?”

 

“Yes,” she confirmed as he let his hand fall back to his side. “Your goons got a little carried away.”

 

“I know. I'm sorry,” he said, guilt slightly lacing his tone. “Why do you think I made sure they were the first ones the Winchesters encountered?”

 

“He will be mad you let them get killed.”

 

Adonis shrugged off her concern. “We've already dealt with the issue. It wasn't that bad. You're OK and the Winchesters took the bait. That's all that matters.”

 

“Indeed,” another male voice said.

 

Both Zora and Adonis spun around to face the speaker, their postures stiffening as their eyes landed on Eligos. A cold grin was set into his features as he looked between them, finally settling his gaze on Zora and moving to stand directly in front of her. His face distorted in disgust and she dropped her eyes to stare at the ground.

 

“And I thought your human scent was bad,” he spat. “The smell of human mixed with the angel's magic is downright appalling! I thought I told you to shower if he healed you!”

 

“I did, sir,” she replied quickly.

 

“Take another!”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Look at me!” Eligos growled.

 

Her eyes shot up to meet the Duke's.

 

“What do they know?” he demanded.

 

“No more than you assumed, sir.”

 

“Have they any indication of where the Archangel's grace landed?”

 

“No, sir. Gabriel and Castiel haven't been able to find any signs of it anywhere.”

 

Zora flinched as Eligos roared in frustration. “Sir, if I may?” she asked cautiously.

 

“What?!” he half yelled at her as his eyes turned black.

 

She dropped her eyes to the ground again, his intense and rage-filled gaze sending a chill up her spine as she fought to get her voice to work. “With...with all due respect...we have Gabriel. He's right inside. I'll get him out here and you can grab him.”

 

A yelp of shock and pain tore out of Zora's lips when Eligos harshly reached out to twist his hand into the hair at the back of her head. He roughly forced her to the ground on her knees and pulled her head back until pain shot through her body and she whimpered. She locked her arms to her sides, knowing better than to put up a fight. From the corner of her eye she could see Adonis fighting his urge to intervene.

 

“If I want your worthless opinion on what to do I will ask!” Eligos growled. “You will do well to remember your place, girl! I'm the one that raised your pathetic human ass, and you will do as I say and nothing more! Is that clear?!”

 

Zora did her best to nod in the position he held her as she fought back the tears stinging her eyes.

 

“ANSWER ME!” Eligos bellowed.

 

“Y-yes, sir,” she said, her voice strained.

 

“You will get close to the Winchesters, their pet angel, and the former Archangel! Make them trust you and keep me updated on their findings! If I need you to do something more I will tell you!  I, and the rest of my  _ competent  _ soldiers, will take care of the rest. Do  _ NOT _ fuck this up, Zora, or that tiny internal bleeding issue the angel fixed will be nothing compared to what I'll do to you if you fail or get found out!”

 

“Y-yes, sir,” Zora choked out.

 

The wind was ripped from her lungs when Eligos threw her to the ground and landed a kick to her stomach. He glared at her defenseless form for a moment before he turned his attention to Adonis.

 

“Meet me at base. We have work to do,” he ordered, and then vanished.

 

As soon as the Duke was gone, Adonis was kneeling next to Zora, helping her to a sitting position.

 

“Why do you provoke him?” he asked gently as he brushed the dirt from her clothing. He paused when he saw the rip in her pants at the knee. She had obviously landed on a sharp rock when she hit the ground, and blood was seeping from the wound it had caused. “Are you OK?”

 

“I'm fine,” she said meekly. “I need to get back in there before anyone notices I'm gone.”

 

Adonis nodded reluctantly and helped her to her feet. After saying their farewells and him telling her to call if she needed him, Zora made her way back through the garage. She quietly shut the door that led into the hallway from the garage and turned. She then froze in her tracks. Her brain spun into overdrive as she looked into the whiskey eyes of the former Archangel standing in front of her.


	3. Where Loyalties May Lie

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for physical/verbal abuse and discussion of past abuse.

_**Chapter 3: Where Loyalties May Lie** _

 

 

Gabriel and Zora stayed locked in their unintended staring contest for a moment, both shocked to find the other roaming the bunker after everyone, aside from Castiel, had supposedly went to bed. Her mind raced as his brow rose in speculation. She tried to come up with a reasonable excuse as to why she had just come from the garage.

 

“Why are you awake?” she suddenly blurted out, taking the attention away from herself. It was the only course of action she could muster.

 

“I could ask you the same thing,” he shot back, successfully deflecting her inquiry.

 

She fidgeted in her stance, her hand brushing the sides of her pants and grazing the phone inside her pocket. A light bulb went off in her head and she grabbed the device from its place and held it up for him to see. “My dad wanted me to call.”

 

His brow arched further up. “At this hour?” he questioned. “Why didn't you just talk to him in your room?”

 

“Our conversations tend to get a little...uh...loud,” she explained quickly, proud of her quick comeback. “Didn't want to wake anyone.”

 

His expression softened as a sense of empathy splashed into his gaze. “I can definitely relate to the crappy dad thing,” he said. His eyes suddenly took the rest of her in, and concern colored his expression at the sight of the blood and dirt stains on her clothes. “What happened?!”

 

Zora looked down at herself. In the shock of him finding her she had forgotten she looked worse for wear once again. “I fell,” she lied easily. It wasn't the first time she had had to make something up to explain an injury. “I'm a little accident prone.”

 

“Are you OK?” he asked, moving towards her. “That looks pretty bad.” He raised a hand, ready to place two fingers on her forehead, but stopped when he remembered he wouldn't be able to heal her. “I'll go get Cas to heal you.”

 

He started to turn away from her to do as he had said and she quickly grabbed his arm. “No!” He turned back to her with wide eyes of confusion. She couldn't let the angel heal her. She knew there was a sizeable bruise forming on her stomach and she couldn't risk that injury being found. “I just...he's already healed me once. I don't want to take advantage of him. Really, Gabriel, I'm fine. Sam and Dean showed me where the medical supplies are. I'll just go fix myself up.”

 

He analyzed her words for a moment before he spoke. “At least let me help you.”

 

“I'm fine really.”

 

“Not taking no for an answer,” he informed her as he linked his arm with hers and started leading her to the infirmary.

 

Zora sat on the edge of one of the beds in the large medical room, watching Gabriel gather bandages and the materials needed to clean her wound. “Gabriel, you don't have to do this.”

 

“Will you stop?” he said as he knelt down in front of her and sat his supplies down beside him. “Now, roll your pants leg up...or you can just take them off all together,” he said with a waggle of his eyebrows.

 

“I don't think so,” Zora said, shooting a glare his way.

 

“Kidding!” he said, holding his hands up in mock surrender. “Just trying to lighten the mood!”

 

He smiled at her as she rolled her pants leg up to reveal the wound on her knee, and she couldn't help but return the sentiment. He set to work cleaning the dirt and debris that had made its way into the cut, taking extra care as to not cause her more pain than needed. She watched him carefully, taken by surprise by how gentle he was with her.

 

“So, are you OK?” he asked cautiously as he wiped the excess blood that had run down her shin.

 

“Yeah, I'm fine,” she assured him. “It's not the worst thing that's ever happened to me.”

 

“That's not what I meant.”

 

She narrowed her eyes in confusion as his drifted up to meet hers. Her breath caught in her throat for a moment when the light caught the gold of his eyes. She hadn't noticed before how the deep amber color seemed to swirl into the dark limbal rings, pulling her into their depths.

 

“The phone call with your dad,” he continued, pulling her from her thoughts. “You seemed pretty upset when I ran into you.”

 

“Oh, that.”

 

Gabriel could see the nervousness that claimed her features at the mention of her father. The way her beautiful blue eyes averted from his made a small pit start to form in his stomach, and he suddenly felt terrible for bringing it up.

 

“I'm sorry,” he said. “I didn't mean to-”

 

“No, it's alright,” she assured him, dragging her eyes back to him. “My dad and I don't exactly see eye to eye on a lot of things and...he has a temper.”

 

“Is he a hunter too?”

 

Zora couldn't help the cynical laugh that came out of her mouth. “Definitely _not_ a hunter.”

 

“Then he doesn't approve of you being one I take it?”

 

“You could say that.”

 

Gabriel nodded slowly. He could tell the subject wasn't one she wanted to be on, and he searched his brain for a way out. He laughed at himself when absolutely nothing was coming to him. “I really didn't mean to make this conversation so awkward.”

 

The tension he didn't realize he was holding eased when she laughed, and he saw her eyes light up. “It's fine. You didn't know.”

 

“Ya know,” he started as he wrapped a bandage around her knee, “you can just tell me to shut up if you need to.”

 

She laughed again and he couldn't help the smile that started to grow on his lips. “No need for that. Might as well get the awkward conversation out of the way from the start,” she told him.

 

“If you say so,” he chuckled as he secured her dressing. “You're all set.” He turned to gather the medical supplies he had used and stood. He returned them all to where they belonged and turned back to her as she was standing from the bed. “I guess we should both get back to bed. Sam and Dean will be wanting to start early.” He waited for her to nod and he crossed back to her, holding out his arm. “Come on, m'lady. I'll escort you back to your room.”

 

Zora surprised even herself when she giggled at his antics, and linked her arm with his. “I'm pretty sure I can make it there on my own, but if you insist.”

 

“Of course I insist. Gotta make sure you don't fall again and take out your other knee.”

 

As they walked back to their rooms, Gabriel made it his mission to keep her laughing. He couldn't help but get lost in the joyful sound. They were at her door much sooner than he was happy with, but he let her thank him for fixing her up and she disappeared into her room after they both said good night. As he walked back to his own room, he couldn't help but think there was something about her that just simply drew him in.

 

Zora leaned against the door as she looked around at the bed and other pieces of furniture in the room, a small smile still on her face. She had originally thought the former Archangel a jerk for the comment he had made when they first met and from stories that she had heard about him. But now she could see that wasn't the case. Maybe it was his newfound humanity that had knocked him down a peg or two, or maybe she was actually seeing who he really was. Either way, she had been expecting not to like him, and thought she would be happy when it was all over.

 

However, that wasn’t the case now. She could see herself actually forming a friendship with him. The smile suddenly fell from her lips. That's not why she was here. She had a job to do and she needed to focus. Gabriel and the others may have been nice and shown her kindness she had only ever known to come from Adonis, but the fear of what Eligos would do if she let her emotions get in the way of his plan had her stuffing the sentiments down deep.

 

This may be harder than she thought.

 

* * *

 

 

Getting out of the bunker alone, and in broad daylight while everyone was awake and working diligently on locating Gabriel's grace, Adonis, and Eligos, had not been an easy feat. She had argued with the four men she was sharing the space with for at least a half hour, all of them trying to convince her to let one of them go with her. Their protectiveness had thrown her. She had expected to just be able to tell them her “dad” was just outside of Lebanon and wanted to see her and that would have been the end of it.

 

It most definitely wasn't.

 

She would be lying if she said that their concern over her well being hadn't warmed her heart. It had been a week since she had come to stay with them and the bonds that she had formed had happened much easier than she had expected. Most of their time had been consumed by lore books and satellite pictures of phenomenon that resembled grace flying through the atmosphere. However, there had been moments here and there where she began to see who these men really were.

 

One evening she had been tired of the take-out that Sam or Dean would run to town for and instead of everyone's order, she had sent Dean to the grocery store with a shopping list. She hadn't been expecting him to roll up his sleeves upon his return to help her cook their meal. They worked seamlessly together as they moved about the kitchen preparing a pork roast with garlic mashed potatoes and white cheddar macaroni and cheese. They laughed and joked the entire time with playful banter peppered in. The way his eyes lit up when he realized she had also planned on making an apple pie from scratch put a smile on her face that she couldn't seem to make go away. By the time dinner was ready and everyone was sitting down to eat, she and Dean had built a solid foundation for their friendship.

 

There was a night where they had all reluctantly taken a break from their tasks to get some sleep, but she couldn't seem to get herself to relax enough to close her eyes. So, she had taken to roaming the bunker and at one point she passed by Sam's open door to find him reading a tattered copy of “The Great Gatsby”, one of her favorite literary classics. What had started as a simple “I love that book!” had turned into him showing her his personal library that held classics such as “Jane Eyre”, “Catcher in the Rye”, “Wuthering Heights”, “1984”, and “Pride and Prejudice,” just to name a few. They spent two hours discussing their favorite authors and books and why those specific ones had stuck with them. Reading had always been an escape for both from the terrors of their everyday life, and without noticing it, they had formed a bond as well.

 

Castiel had been somewhat harder to find common ground with, but it had eventually happened one day when they had ended up alone in the bunker's secondary library searching for yet another book dedicated to the Dukes of Hell. She hadn't seen many angels in her life, but the ones she had encountered had been nothing but soldiers on a mission. However, Castiel was different. He held a deep regard for the Winchesters and his now human brother that she didn't think angels could have. She had eventually gotten the courage to ask him about it and he told her it was because they had shown him what it was like to actually be part of a family and he would do anything for them. That, she could relate to him on, at least to some degree. The only reason she was doing what she was doing was because the only family she had ever known needed her to. Even if Eligos was a terrible example of anything resembling a healthy family dynamic, he had still taken her in when she had nowhere else to go.

 

Gabriel, much to her surprise, had been the easiest of the four to get close to. Ever since that first night, their conversation had flowed easily and she loved that he could always make her laugh. In between research sessions he would usually find a reason to be around her, and while their conversations had started out as just playful banter and a hefty dose of flirting on his part that always had her blushing, they had eventually really started to get to know one another. He told her stories of his time on Earth and how he had left heaven to escape the fighting that he still managed to get pulled into, but he mostly focused on what he considered happier times. She had confided in him as well, only with much more censorship. She referred to Eligos simply as her “dad” that had adopted her when her mother died when she was seven. Adonis became her “Uncle” that was the one who had really taken care of her.

 

She hadn't expected to be able to form any kind of real relationship with any of the four. But, as it stood a week later, she had built friendships with them. The guilt that had set in on her had been almost unbearable. These men had welcomed her into their home and offered her their protection when they had barely even knew her name, even if what they were protecting her from wasn't an actual threat, at least not to her. Yet, here she was, about to give an update to Eligos who she knew she owed her life to, and that was the exact reason why she had no choice but to be loyal to him, even if the week she had spent without having to worry about avoiding his wrath had been the best she could remember in her life.

 

Zora parked her car on the side of the road and turned off the engine when she reached the rendezvous point Eligos had sent her. She took the hex bag from the front pocket of her jeans and tossed it into her passenger's seat. After finally convincing the Winchesters, Gabriel, and Castiel that she had to see her father by herself, they had insisted she carry a hex bag that hid her from demons, and Gabriel had taken it upon himself to draw an intricate Enochian warding sigil on her right forearm. She hated having to smear his work as she exited her car. The moment she did, Eligos appeared beside her.

 

“You're late!” he barked as he grabbed her arm to examine the sigil she had ruined. His eyes flashed black as he looked to her. “You let them put Enochian on you?!”

 

“I...I didn't have a choice!” she told him, fighting the urge to pry her arm from his hold. His fingers were digging into her hard enough that she knew there would be marks. Marks that she would have to keep covered or figure out how to explain. “It was the only way they would let me leave on my own!”

 

He growled as he dropped her arm and she took a step back from him. “What have they found?” he demanded, his eyes fading back to dark brown.

 

“Nothing as of yet, sir. Just one dead end after another.”

 

“And you are successfully keeping them off my trail?”

 

“Yes, sir. I found ways to derail them when they've gotten close. But, they have talked about bringing in a witch they know to perform a tracking spell.”

 

Eligos chuckled arrogantly as he leaned his back against her car and crossed his arms over his chest. “I'm not worried about a witch. Do they suspect anything with you?”

 

“No, sir. Not that I'm aware of.”

 

She immediately regretted her answer when she saw the ire flash across his features. Faster than her human brain could register, he was off the car and grabbing her by her upper arms. His fingers once again dug into her skin hard enough to leave bruises as he swung her around and shoved her back into the car, knocking the wind from her lungs. Fear gripped every one of her senses as he brought his face inches from hers.

 

“Do they suspect you or not?!” he yelled into her face.

 

“N-no, sir! No! We are all becoming friends!” She fought with herself to hold eye contact with him, knowing that averting her gaze would just make him angrier.

 

“ _Friends?!_ ” he growled.

 

“Y-yes, sir! They've started to trust me!”

 

He glared at her a moment longer before he released her. He stepped away, stroking his chin in thought. “That's good.”

 

She breathed a quiet sigh of relief as she absentmindedly rubbed her arms where he had, in fact, left marks.

 

“That might make what I need you to do easier,” Eligos continued. “There is a pack of werewolves in Oregon that have taken quite an interest in an old ranch. There is a heavy energy around the place, but they have taken measures to deflect us.”

 

“You want me to go on a hunt?!” she asked incredulously. “You remember I'm not _actually_ a hunter, right?”

 

She once again regretted her words when she saw the black return to his eyes and the back of his hand connected with the side of her face. Her head jerked to the side as pain erupted from the point of contact, and she could feel blood trickling down from her cheek bone from a ring that had cut her skin.

 

“DON'T YOU _DARE_ QUESTION MY INTELLIGENCE, GIRL!” Eligos bellowed. “I know you are not a hunter, though you are about as annoying as one sometimes! You have been trained to fight, and you do have some marksmanship! That much I have made sure of!”

 

“Yes, sir. I'm sorry, sir,” she whimpered.

 

“The energy emitting from the place could possibly be Gabriel's grace, and after the other world Michael fucked with some werewolves’ DNA, there could be others jonesing for a hit. Tell the Winchesters and their angels tomorrow morning that you had a friend call with a case they couldn't get to.”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“And Zora, don't become _too_ close. I plan on doing away with them all once I have the Archangel where I want him. I don't need your pathetic human emotions getting in the way of that.”

 

Zora's eyes shot to the Duke. It was the first time he had mentioned killing any of them.

 

“Is that clear?!” Eligos growled.

 

“Yes, sir,” she stammered, her heart clenching in her chest.

 

With that, Eligos was gone. She let herself slide down the side of her car to sit on the ground as the tears she had been fighting broke through to the surface, mingling with the blood still oozing from her cut. Her mind and heart were at war with one another over what was the right thing to do. She still had the hex bag and she could still see the lines of the warding symbol on her arm. She could take off and get as far away from the Winchesters, Castiel, and Gabriel as she could and hopefully spare them from Eligos. However, her fear of the Duke finally won out and she pushed herself up and got back into her car.

 

She had a hour’s worth of drive time before she reached the bunker, and she had to start thinking of an excuse to explain the marks on her arms and face. She suddenly hated the fact that she had worn a short sleeve shirt with no jacket.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel leaned back in one of the leather arm chairs in the bunker's library. His leg bounced with anxiety as he watched the clock on the opposite wall. Zora had said she would be back in three hours and she was already ten minutes late. His eyes glanced down to the cell phone in his lap and he argued with himself over whether or not he should call to check on her. Surely she would have called one of them if she had run into trouble. Unless she couldn't.

 

“I'm sure she's fine, Gabe,” Sam said from behind his laptop.

 

Gabriel turned his gaze to the younger Winchester sitting across from him at one of the tables. “She's late.”

 

“There was also traffic on the interstate leading into Lebanon,” Sam told him.

 

Gabriel raised his brow in question.

 

“I didn't say I wasn't worried, too,” Sam confessed. “I've been constantly checking the traffic report for the route she took since she left. I also made sure she turned on the GPS for her phone, just in case”

 

Gabriel chuckled as his body relaxed a fraction. “I guess that makes me feel a little better.”

 

“Good,” Sam said as he looked back to his computer. “You and Zora have seemed to hit it off pretty well.”

 

“Are we really going to have _that_ conversation, Sam?” Gabriel asked as he chuckled again.

 

“It was just an observation.”

 

“She's fun to talk to,” Gabriel tried to rationalize, “and she hasn't forgotten how to laugh at a well timed quip, unlike the rest of you sticks in the mud.”

 

“Yeah, that's all it is,” Sam said sarcastically. “You've noticed nothing else about her.”

 

“Come on, Sam! I would have to be dead, _again_ , to not see how hot she is. I'm not the only one that's checked her out.”

 

“Yet, you're the only one she flirts with.”

 

“Whatever, Sam.”

 

Gabriel had never been more thankful for Dean and Castiel than when they both entered the library and ended the conversation he had fallen into with the younger Winchester.

 

“Hey, Gabe, you heard from Zora?” Dean asked as he and Castiel sat down in a chair on either side of Sam.

 

“Why are you asking me specifically?” Gabriel asked defensively.

 

Dean's brow raised as he looked toward his little brother and pointed at Gabriel. “Is he serious?”

 

Sam peered up over his laptop screen for a beat before he shrugged and went back to what he was reading. Dean turned back to the former Archangel to speak, but Zora walking into the room stopped him. He smiled brightly at her at first until his eyes fell on the cut on her cheek bone that was now swollen and bruised.

 

“What the hell happened to your face?!” Dean exclaimed as he and the other men quickly rose to their feet and made their way over to her.

 

“Oh, this?” Zora said with a nervous laugh as she pointed to her face. “Wouldn't you know it? My clumsy ass nailed myself in the face with my car door.”

 

“Your car door?” Gabriel questioned, sharing a look with the rest of the men.

 

“Yeah,” Zora confirmed as she avoided looking any of them in the eye and absentmindedly pulled on the sleeves of the purple flannel over shirt. She was extremely thankful she had had the oversight to slip into her room to get it before she had entered the library. “I can't believe I did something so dumb either. But, back to work now! There's a book in the other library I wanted to look at. There was something about Adonis in it.”

 

She didn't give any of them a chance to respond before she turned and exited the room, leaving the men staring at the doorway.

 

“So, am I the only one who _doesn't_ believe that load of crap she just fed us?” Dean asked.

 

“Not the only one,” Gabriel agreed, and took off to follow Zora's footsteps.

 

By the time he caught up with her, Zora was already in the bunker's secondary library amongst the shelves, searching aimlessly through the spines of the old texts.

 

“Zora,” Gabriel started cautiously, “are you- mmph!”

 

She cut off his words off by turning and throwing her body into his, crashing their lips together. Her fingers twisted into his hair as she pushed him against one of the shelves. The desperation in her actions threw him off and his hands automatically went to her waist, returning the display of affection and pressing her body closer to his. When her hands started to drift down his chest and across his stomach, his senses quickly returned to him and he hastily broke the kiss.

 

“Zora, slow down, sweetheart,” he said, breathless.

 

“Why?” she whispered as her mouth moved to his neck.

 

He reached up with one hand to gently guide her head to where she was looking at him. “Because you're clearly upset over whatever happened, and while I get needing a distraction, I actually care about you and want to make sure you're OK before anything like this happens between us.”

 

“I'm fine!” she said angrily as she jerked out of his hold. “Nothing happened! I told you, I hit myself in the face with my car door!”

 

“And I don't believe that for a second, so why don't you try the truth this time?”

 

“I told you the truth!” she shouted.

 

“Zora, please,” he pleaded, keeping his voice calm. “Talk to me.”

 

“Dammit, Gabriel! Why couldn't you just fuck me and be done with it?!” she yelled, and stormed out of the room.

 

Gabriel blew a huff of air from his lips as he ran a hand through his hair. “Well that didn't go well.”

 

* * *

 

 

Thunder rumbled outside the bunker as Zora stalked back into the main library. The dark look on her features kept the Winchester brothers and Castiel silent as she passed where they were once again seated at a table. They followed her with their eyes as she entered into the war room and up the iron staircase. The three of them winced when she slammed the heavy metal door closed on her heated exit. It wasn't long until Gabriel entered the library with an almost defeated expression, turning the men's attention to him.

 

“What the hell did you do, Gabriel?!” Dean asked.

 

“She didn't want to talk,” the former Archangel said as he flopped down in a chair next to Castiel.

 

“Did she say _anything_?” Dean asked. “Is it demon related?”

 

Gabriel gazed intently at the small lamp in the middle of the table. “She's sticking to her story. But, no, I don't think it has anything to do with what we've been doing for the past week.”

 

“Then what?” Castiel asked.

 

Sam sighed as he shut his laptop in front of him. “You think it was her dad, don't you?”

 

Gabriel nodded slowly.

 

“Her dad? Seriously?” Dean asked as he looked back and forth between the two.

 

“She mentioned the day we brought her here that he wasn't the _friendliest person_ ,” Sam said.

 

“And she's said more than once to me that he has a temper,” Gabriel added. “Her first night here I caught her sneaking back inside because he had called and her exact words were 'our conversations tend to get a little loud,’ and then said she didn't want to wake anyone.”

 

“Why didn't you guys say anything earlier?!” Dean demanded. “I never would have let her go alone had I known!’

 

“It wasn't our place, Dean!” Sam defended. “She told us that stuff in confidence!”

 

“Nor is it our place to keep her from him unless she asks us to,” Castiel added.

 

“That's bullshit!” Dean exclaimed and turned to Gabriel. “Tell me you agree with me!”

 

The former Archangel cut his eyes to the older Winchester. “Of course I agree with you! But there isn't anything we can do unless she talks to us! We don't even know the guy’s name!”

 

“Then get her to talk to you!”

 

“Believe me, Dean, I plan on trying to do that.”

 

* * *

 

 

Zora angrily stalked down the path leading from the bunker, ignoring the dark clouds and thunder rolling in the sky above. Her mind raced with fury that deep down she knew was misplaced. Gabriel had just been the nearest person when her rage finally spilled over. As she stepped past the invisible line where the bunker's protective warding ended, she felt the air around her shift and fill with a familiar energy. She halted her steps and turned in time to see Adonis appear. She saw his eyes flash with ire when he took in the wound on her cheek. She let him step closer to get a better look.

 

“What happened?” he asked, his expression softening when his gaze met hers.

 

“I questioned him. I knew better. But the words were out of my mouth before I even thought about it.”

 

“He still shouldn't have done it.”

 

“When has that ever stopped him?!” she shouted, and turned away from him.

 

Adonis sighed heavily and his eyes drifted up to the sky as thunder crashed again and lightning streaked across the sky. “You need to try and calm down, Zora.”

 

She scoffed and crossed her arms over her chest. Adonis stepped in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders gently.

 

“Hey, look at me,” he encouraged softly. He waited until she did so. “Now, close your eyes and take three slow deep breaths.” As she did as he instructed, Adonis turned his eyes back to the sky watching the storm clouds slowly recede. “Good, girl,” he said proudly as he looked back to her just as her eyes opened. “Feel better?”

 

She nodded and walked away from him to lean against a nearby tree. “So, why are you here?”

 

“Wanted to check on you after your meeting with Eligos. I would have shown sooner, but whatever the Winchesters did to ward you is some seriously strong shit. I couldn't find you anywhere until you stepped past the warding of this place.”

 

“Yeah, those boys know their shit.”

 

“Also...Eligos wanted to make sure you give them as little information on the werewolves in Oregon as possible. He wants them to do the legwork to see if they come up with the same thing we have. I'll send you the vic profiles in the morning with the information he wants them to have.”

 

“So, he basically wants them to walk in blind?” Zora asked, already knowing the answer.

 

“Pretty much, but they are among the more competent hunters. It won't take them long to figure out what's going on, and Eligos wants to see if Gabriel senses anything.”

 

“He's human now, though. Do you think he can sense anything now?”

 

“I guess we'll find out.”

 

Zora sighed as she pushed herself from the tree. “I guess I need to get back in there before one of them comes looking for me. They are all on pretty high alert because of this,” she said, pointing to her face.

 

“What did you tell them?”

 

“That I hit myself in the face with my car door by accident.”

 

“They buy it?”

 

“Not even a little bit. Actually, I probably owe Gabriel an apology.” She sighed despondently as she thought about the interaction she had had with the former Archangel. “He's not at all like Eligos described him. None of them are.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“They're good men Adonis,” she stated simply. “They've made me feel more at home with them in the past week than I've ever felt anywhere with Eligos, unless you were there. And what he has planned for Gabriel? After everything that he went through with Asmodeus...he just doesn't deserve this.”

 

Adonis moved to where he was standing in front of her again and gently took her by the shoulders. “It's not our place to decide that and you know it. We both owe Eligos our lives and that's a debt we both have to pay.”

 

The pain and uncertainty he saw swimming in her eyes caused something to clench in his chest. He had had a sinking feeling that it would happen, and now the evidence was all over her face. She had started to genuinely care about the two hunters, the angel, and the former Archangel. However, it was the way she spoke about the latter that really had him worried, and he knew that if he was right about that one, her entire world was about to be turned upside down.

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the day had went quietly. The Winchesters, Castiel, and Gabriel had, much to Dean's disapproval, given Zora her space. She worked in the secondary library while the others gathered in the main. As the hours wore on, one by one they filtered off to their respective rooms. After Zora had seen Dean pass by on his way to bed, she finally left the room she had hid out in all day and headed to the kitchen. She hadn't eaten since breakfast early that morning and had ignored the common area in fear of running into one of the men she was sharing space with in order to avoid answering questions.

 

Zora noticed the small yellow sticky note stuck to the refrigerator with her name on it the second she walked into the kitchen. As she got closer she noted the handwriting, small and elegant, yet hurried was Gabriel's penmanship. She plucked the note from where it hung and read the words.

 

_Zora,_

 

_Saved you some pizza in the fridge. Hope we can talk soon._

 

_Gabriel_

 

She sighed as she folded the small note and stuck it in the front pocket of his jeans. This would be a lot easier if he would just be pissed off at her for being a bitch to him. Just as he had written, there were three pieces of pizza wrapped in tin foil inside the refrigerator. She placed it on the counter to open it and guilt clenched her again. It was her favorite. She had offhandedly mentioned once that she liked mushroom and green pepper and he had remembered.

 

"He made me get that disgusting combination just for you."

 

Dean's voice had caused her heart to leap into her throat and she quickly whirled around to face him where he stood just inside the doorway.

 

"Dean!" she croaked. "I thought you went to bed?"

 

"Wanted a beer," he stated as he crossed the room to pull one from the fridge.

 

She watched him as he twisted the top off and threw it into the nearby trash can and then leaned against the fridge, meeting her eyes.

 

"Listen, Zora," he started. "I get that we all haven't known each other very long and you don't really owe us an explanation to what happened today, but-"

 

"Dean, I really don't want to talk about this."

 

"Then don't. Just listen." He waited to make sure she wasn't going to walk away before he continued. "All I want to say is that we're here, if you need us. All of us. We got your back and we won't judge you if you decide to confide in us. Who knows, maybe we can help."

 

Zora felt tears start to sting the corners of her eyes, and she did the best she could to fight down the lump forming in her throat. She could see in his eyes and hear in the tone of his voice that he meant every word. However, she knew that if he knew what was really going on and who she had gone to see, he wouldn't be offering his loyalty. No, she would be the next thing he wanted to hunt. Even if she was human, being raised by a demon made her something that even she hated to see in the mirror.

 

"Thanks, Dean. I really do appreciate all of you. It's just not something I'm ready to talk about."

 

He nodded as he took a long swig of his drink. "I understand. Just remember we're here when you are."

 

* * *

 

 

Zora walked down the hallway that held the sleeping quarters of the bunker on the way to her room. The conversation she had had with Dean still played in her mind on endless repeat. Eligos had told her all sorts of terrible things about the men she had spent the past week with. He had said that Sam and Dean were self obsessed idiots with hero complexes that only cared about what someone could do for them, that Castiel had been brainwashed by them to the point where he had gone against the host of heaven and was loyal _only_ to the Winchesters. He had told her that Gabriel betrayed his brothers and ran away to Earth where the only thing he cared about was his own pleasures. So many negative things the Duke had to say about them, and it was becoming painfully obvious that _none_ of it was true.

 

Before she realized it, she was standing at her door with her hand on the doorknob. She hesitated as she glanced to the room next to hers, the one she knew Gabriel was in. She wasn't even sure why she was doing it, but she moved to stand in front of the former Archangel's door and knocked softly.

 

"Hold on!" she heard him gruff from inside.

 

There was shuffling inside the room and then the door swung open. Anything she may have thought she was going to say vanished from her mind when she saw him standing there in just a pair of dark blue jeans with his golden brown hair dishevelled. She couldn't help the wandering of her eyes down to his toned chest, well-defined abs, and strong arms. The lump was back in her throat, only this time it was for a much different reason. Fighting down the blush she knew was painting her cheeks, she forced herself to look up at him. His whiskey eyes were full of concern and confusion at finding her at his door.

 

"Can we, uh...can we talk?" she stammered.

 

"Yeah, of course," he said as he stepped aside so she could enter while he tried to smooth down his unruly hair.

 

He shut the door behind her and then fumbled in the dark for the light, cursing under his breath when the brightness hit his eyes.

 

"Did I wake you up?" she asked sheepishly as she stood in the center of the room, suddenly feeling very awkward.

 

"No, I've been up for a few minutes," he told her as he crossed to sit on the edge of his bed. There was an uncomfortable silence between them before he spoke again. "I'm sorry about earlier."

 

"I'm the one that pounced on you and then was a total bitch, and _you're_ apologizing to _me_?"

 

He shrugged as a smirk played at his lips. "Didn't really have a problem with you pouncing on me."

 

She couldn't help but laugh when he wiggled his eyebrows at her for emphasis. "Gabriel!" she only half scolded.

 

"I shouldn't have pushed you to talk about something you didn't want to talk about," he said, seriousness returning to his features.

 

"About that," she sighed as she moved to sit next to him, making sure to keep her eyes on the floor and plenty of space between the two of them. She chewed on her bottom lip as she tried to find the words she wanted to say. Opening up to him was a risk that she knew she really shouldn't take with literally everything riding on her not blowing her cover, but she couldn't help but want to tell him as much of the truth as she could. "I've only ever had one person in my life that cared enough to give a damn when something like this happened."

 

"That's not the case anymore."

 

The certainty in his words had her eyes coming up to meet his. "I'm starting to see that."

 

"Zora," he started.

 

"No, please, just let me get through this."

 

She waited for him to nod and then she stood, wrapping her arms around herself as she started to aimlessly walk about the room. "I don't remember a whole lot of my life before my dad adopted me. The only thing I can tell you about my mother is her name, and when it comes to my biological father, I know even less. All I really remember is waking up in a hospital and a cop telling me my mother died in a car accident, but there was already someone wanting to adopt me. He was nice, for all of a week, and then I guess he got tired of me and that's when I met the man I call my uncle, the one that I told you who was really the one that raised me. He home schooled me and really taught me almost everything I know, including everything about the things that go bump in the night."

 

She paused in her story, trying to figure out the best way to tell it.

 

"Things ran smoothly like that for a few years. My ‘dad’ basically ignoring my existence and my uncle taking care of me… up until my tenth birthday. My dad and uncle were arguing over me and I don't know, I guess I'd had enough because they bickered over what I should be doing all the time. I got mad, really mad. I said some things I shouldn't have and my dad and I started screaming at each other. It had started storming while we were fighting and at some point lightning struck the house and somehow blew out a whole wall. Somewhere in his head he decided that that was my fault, and that was the first time he…"

 

Gabriel felt the rage rolling through his body as she confided in him, and when he saw her wipe her eyes to keep the tears from falling down her face, he had to grip the mattress to keep himself seated and not demand she tell him where her so-called dad was.

 

"My uncle had to pry him off of me. They came to physical blows and after that night, everything changed. My dad kept me as close to him as possible, I was only allowed to see my uncle when we were doing school stuff, and all I had to do was look at my dad wrong to earn a smack across the face. It all became this vicious cycle that I just couldn't get out of."

 

"How did you?" Gabriel asked, making sure to keep his voice calm. "How did you ever get away to become a hunter?"

 

She stared blankly at him for a moment. She hadn't been anticipating that question. The truth was, she hadn't. The only time she had gotten out from under Eligos' thumb was the few times Adonis had convinced him she needed 'field training'. The only reason Eligos had let her out of his sight this time was because he needed a human that could infiltrate the Winchesters' defenses because he knew Gabriel would run to them, and he needed eyes on the former Archangel for when his grace was located. She fought back the bile suddenly rising in her throat at the thought of Eligos getting his hands on Gabriel.

 

"Zora?" Gabriel asked cautiously, breaking her from her thoughts.

 

Without her realizing it, he had moved to stand in front of her. She racked her brain for a believable lie.

 

"After I was eighteen there was nothing he could do," she said lamely. "But, I don't want to provoke him and make things worse. As long as I come when he calls, he's satisfied."

 

She silently prayed that he wouldn't see right through her.

 

"So, that's why you went today?" he asked. "What escalated and made him…"

 

Gabriel's eyes drifted to her cheek and she knew exactly what he meant.

 

"I questioned him when I shouldn't of," she replied quietly and averted her eyes from him.

 

"Tell me you know that doesn't give him the right to put his hands on you?" It was getting harder for Gabriel to keep the hatred for the man she spoke of out of his voice.

 

Her eyes closed as she sighed. "That's not all," she whispered, and slowly took off her flannel over shirt, revealing to him the bruises on her upper arms and right wrist.

 

His silence prompted her to open her eyes. She found him looking over her arms and she could practically taste the rage he was trying not to show. His golden eyes finally met hers and for a brief second she was almost sure she saw them spark with a faint bluish-white glow. She braced herself for the explosion she was sure was coming. However, instead of the screaming she was anticipating, his expression softened and he wrapped his arms gently around her.

 

She knew she should have pushed him away, knew she shouldn't have let her walls down. But his embrace was so warm and comforting; she couldn't help but give in and hug him back with her head tucked into the crook of his neck. What really surprised her were the tears she had been fighting that were now freely flowing down her cheeks.

 

"He won't hurt you again. Not if I have anything to do with it," Gabriel promised.

 

Despite herself, and everything she knew that he didn't, she believed him.


	4. Oregon Bound

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: tiny bit of smut

_**Chapter 4: Oregon Bound** _

 

 

Adonis stormed through the dark hallway of an old Victorian-style home, his eyes black with rage as he ripped open the door to the living room lit only by the flames in the fireplace. He narrowed his eyes at the object of his fury sitting in the lone piece of furniture in the room. Eligos sat in a blood red, high back wing chair with a glass of red wine in his hand. The Duke stared into the fire, not even moving a muscle at Adonis' loud entrance. His unbothered demeanor only fanned the flames of the other demon's anger.

 

"You want to tell me exactly what the fuck you are thinking, Eligos?!" Adonis demanded. "Sending her back to them with bruises all over her! Are you trying to blow her cover?!"

 

"They weren't all over her and she deserved it for the way she spoke to me." Eligos never took his eyes from the fire, nor did his voice raise a single octave. "I'm sure she came up with a reasonable excuse if she knows what's good for her."

 

"That's beside the point!" Adonis didn't dare let the Duke know that the Winchesters hadn't believed her excuse. 

 

"Then what is it, Adonis?" Eligos asked listlessly.

 

"My point is," Adonis growled, "I had to calm a storm."

 

The Duke's eyes cut to him for the first time. "Did she notice?"

 

"No."

 

"Then you are worried over nothing."

 

The Duke turned his attention back to the fire as he sipped his wine.

 

"One day, Eligos...one day, she is going to remember, and she is going to give back everything you have ever dished out," Adonis said, fighting every fiber of his being not to attack the Duke.

 

Eligos took another pull from his glass. "Then I suggest you make sure that doesn't happen. Because if it does, she will hate you as much as she hates me."

 

* * *

 

 

The next morning came much sooner than Gabriel had wanted. It took a moment for his sleep-fogged brain to register the still sleeping girl with her back pressed into his chest. In his slumber he had subconsciously curled his body around hers. Sleeping with his arm draped around her midsection, Zora looked so peaceful, much more so than when she had originally come into his room the night before. She had trusted him enough to pull back the curtain on a part of herself that not many had seen. They had continued to talk well into the wee hours of the morning. He had listened to her as long as she needed him to, and when he sensed her need to get away from the topic, he had done his best to make her laugh. When he succeeded, he let her lead the conversation to more light-hearted subject matter until they ended up falling asleep in his bed.

 

"Gabriel!" Sam's urgent voice and loud knock crashed through the quiet of the room, shattering the former Archangel's thoughts and causing Zora to jerk awake in his arms. "We can't find Zora! Have you seen her?"

 

Zora growled, cursing under her breath as she pulled the blankets over her head and subconsciously pressed herself closer to Gabriel. She clearly wasn't a morning person. "I'm right here, Sam!" she called out with a disgruntled edge to her tone, and Gabriel chuckled at her reaction.

 

"Oh, um." Sam stuttered on the other side of the door. "Sorry."

 

The haze in her brain started to recede when she heard the younger Winchester's retreating footsteps, and she quickly realized her position. She hastily pulled herself from Gabriel’s arms and moved to sit on the edge of the bed and turned nervous eyes on him.

 

"Mornin', Sugar," he said. "You alright?"

 

His calm eased the butterflies in her stomach and she smiled at him. "Yeah. Sorry, I guess I fell asleep on you."

 

"No need to apologize," he told her.

 

"Well, I should grab a shower," she said as she jumped up off the bed, grabbing her flannel that was on the floor. She shot him one last smile before she turned and hurried from the room.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel walked into the kitchen after changing his clothes, and getting ready for the day, to Sam avoiding looking at him, Dean smiling at him like the cat that got the canary, and Castiel looking back and forth between the two brothers with a confused look on his face. He knew Sam had relayed where he found Zora that morning. The former Archangel rolled his eyes and made his way to the coffee pot to pour himself a cup in one of the mugs that Dean had set out for all of them. 

 

"How was  _ your _ night, Gabe?" Dean asked slyly from his place at the table.

 

"I dare say that falls under the ‘nunya’ category there, Dean-o," Gabriel said as he turned to face the Winchester and leaned against the island counter.

 

"What Dean means is," Sam recovered for his brother while shooting a glare in his direction, "is Zora OK?"

 

"She's fine."

 

"Did you guys talk?" Dean asked, his smile replaced with a more serious expression.

 

"We did," Gabriel replied. "That's  _ all _ we did last night. But don't ask me to tell you what she said. Because I won't. What she told me, she told me in confidence. If she wants you to know then she will tell you. All you need to know is that she's here, she's safe, and she won't be seeing that asshat alone anymore."

 

Sam, Dean, and Cas all nodded and a silence fell between them for a few minutes until Zora came walking into the room carrying her open laptop, earning quizzical expressions from around the room.

 

"Hey guys, my uncle just sent me a case in Roseburg, Oregon," she told them as she sat her computer in front of Sam and Dean. After careful consideration she had decided to alter Eligos' instructions, and told them that her "uncle" had sent her the case. 

 

"Aren't we already working  _ two _ cases?" Castiel asked as he walked around the table to peer at the screen the brothers were now reading.

 

"Yeah, two cases we haven't made any headway on in over a week," Zora reminded him.

 

"She's got a point," Dean agreed as he looked up from the screen. "And there is already six bodies piled up with their hearts all ripped out."

 

"I'm thinking werewolf. Maybe more than one," Sam said, continuing to read. "Lunar cycle is right for it"

 

"Sam and I'll go check it out," Dean declared as he stood from the table.

 

"Uh, not without me you're not!" Zora said defiantly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

 

"Yeah," Gabriel added. "I'm tagging along too. I'm about to go stir crazy locked up in here.”

 

"You  _ both  _ have demons after you!" Castiel exclaimed, looking back and forth between the two.

 

"Demons that we can ward ourselves against," Zora argued.

 

"Still not a good idea guys," Dean said.

 

"Listen boys," Zora started. "I'm going to Oregon to check this out. The only question is, are we all going together or are Gabriel and I sneaking off after you leave? It's your choice. Either way, I'm gonna go pack. Let me know when you decide."

 

Without another word she turned and exited the kitchen, leaving the Winchester brothers and Castiel with their mouths hanging open in disbelief, and Gabriel smirking proudly as he quietly finished his coffee.

 

* * *

 

 

Nervous, anxious, edgy, tense. None of those words even came close to the way Zora was feeling at the moment as she shoved clothes into her messenger bag. She was unbelievably thankful that Adonis had had the thought of turning the trunk of her car into a hidden hunter's arsenal before she had left to go do Eligos' bidding. She knew she would have everything she needed in there. However, it wasn't being prepared or not that had her worried. 

 

Was she a hunter? Absolutely not. But it wasn't her first tangle with a supernatural creature. Over the years, Adonis had taught her everything she needed to know, even going so far as to give her some field experience after he had convinced Eligos that it would be a smart idea to have her trained for every situation. It also may have given her time away from Eligos, which Adonis knew she desperately needed every now and then. With Adonis by her side she had, in fact, killed a few monsters in her time. What had her anxiety at an all-time high was that this was the first time that Adonis would  _ not _ be there.

 

The demon had called her that morning once she was away from Gabriel to inform her that he had sent her the files on the werewolves, and then he had dropped the bomb: Eligos was sending him to follow a possible grace lead in the Himalayan Mountain range, far away from any type of cell phone reception. She had known that because of Gabriel and the Winchesters he wouldn't have been able to be right by her, but knowing that there was no way to contact him if things went wrong made her stomach twist.

 

Lost inside her own mind as she packed, she didn't notice that Gabriel had come to stand just inside the open doorway to her room. He could almost feel the tension pouring from her movements, but he couldn't figure out why. She had seemed so confident in the kitchen. 

 

"Hey, Sugar," he said cautiously.

 

She spun around, dropping her bag and looking at him like she had forgotten there were other people in the bunker with her. He saw her brain register his sudden appearance and a smile finally splashed over her face.

 

"So, what did they decide?" she asked.

 

Gabriel chuckled as he lifted the duffle bag he was carrying. "Didn't give them much of a choice now, did you? They are waiting in the garage for us."

 

"Then I guess we better not keep them waiting," Zora said as she bent to pick up her dropped bag.

 

* * *

 

 

When Zora and Gabriel entered the garage, Dean was shutting the hood of the Impala after preparing the vehicle for the long drive ahead of them as he talked quietly with Castiel. On their way to the garage, Gabriel had informed Zora that Castiel had decided to stay behind to continue things at the bunker. Sam was in the trunk making sure they would have everything they would need and loading their bags. 

 

"Do you have any warding on your car?" Dean asked as he crossed over to where Zora stood.

 

"I've got the hex bag in there you guys made for me."

 

Dean shot a look over to Castiel, and the angel nodded before he joined them. "Hand me your keys and I'll draw warding in your trunk," Castiel told her.

 

Zora nodded and fished her keys out of her pocket. After taking the keys, Castiel went to her car to begin his work. The next few minutes were filled with Gabriel helping the brothers with their final tasks before they left and Zora checking the situation under the hood of her own vehicle to make sure she was ready for an over twenty four-hour drive.

 

"Zora?" Castiel called just as she was closing her hood.

 

"What's up, Castiel?" she asked, walkingaround to join him at her trunk.

 

"Why do you have so many tiny glow sticks in here, and what's a 'glow tongue' for?" the angel asked as he indicated a cardboard box of mini blue and white glow sticks in her trunk with one hand. In the other he held up a foil package with bright neon yellow writing that read “silicone glow tongue mouthpiece” which showcased a picture of the product that slipped into the roof of the wearer's mouth, lighting it up with a glow stick that was inserted into the middle of the piece. "Also, why does it vibrate?"

 

Zora's face instantly flushed crimson as she stood stock still and stared at the small package in the angel's hand. Loud laughter abruptly echoed through the garage and she quickly whirled around to find Dean bent over the trunk of his own car laughing so hard that there were almost tears squeezing from the corners of his eyes. Sam had suddenly found the floor of the garage very captivating, and looked as if he might be trying to figure out how to dig a hole through the cement with his bare hands. Gabriel, on the other hand, was simply gazing at her with a knowing, yet curious, smirk on his lips.

 

"It appears Zora has a  _ wild _ side!!" Dean managed to get out over his guffaws.

 

"Shut up, Dean!" Zora snapped, and snatched the small package from Castiel's grasp. "I just went to the Electric Daisy Carnival in Vegas last summer."

 

" _ You _ went to EDC?" Dean questioned.

 

"Like you know anything about it!" Zora's voice was getting higher with her embarrassment.

 

"Actually," Dean replied, finally getting his chortling under control, "Sam and I worked a djinn case in Vegas one year while it was going on. Couldn't resist checking it out."

 

"Then you know almost  _ everyone _ wears those mouthpieces!" 

 

"Not the vibrating ones," Dean said, trying not to laugh again. "Those only have one real use."

 

"What's an electric daisy?" Castiel asked.

 

"It's a rave festival that's held in Vegas every summer," Gabriel interjected.

 

"How do  _ you _ know about that?!" Zora asked shrilly.

 

"Trust me, Sugar," Gabriel responded with a chuckle. "There was a time where, if there was a good party, you bet your sweet ass I was there. Had some pretty uh... _ entertaining _ times at Mardi Gras with Bacchus, too."

 

Zora stared at him with round eyes, her mouth hanging slightly agape.

 

"We should go," Sam finally butted in. "We have a really long drive ahead of us."

 

"Yes!" Zora enthusiastically agreed. "We should leave like  _ right now _ !"

 

"You guys are right," Dean said, standing straight and pulling his keys from his pocket. "Who you ridin' with Gabe?"

 

"No offense, Dean, but while I just  _ love _ spending every single waking moment with you and your brother, I think I'm gonna ride along with the wild pretty one," Gabriel said, and sent a wink in Zora's direction that had her blushing once more.

 

* * *

 

 

In an attempt to avoid an awkward conversation, Zora had picked the longest CD she had and put it in to play before Gabriel had even fully gotten in the car. With a smirk on his face he had let her turn the volume up, and that was how the first hour and a half of their trip went. Once the last song had finished playing, he reached up to lower the volume before the disk could restart.

 

"So," Gabriel started as he leaned back into his seat, "never would have pictured you as a raver girl."

 

He adored the flush of pink he saw creeping into her cheeks as she cleared her throat.

 

"I'm not," she said. "It was kinda a fluke that I was there. I went to help my uh...uncle with some stuff. EDC was going on while we were there, I checked it out, met a guy and his friends, and spent the weekend with them." 

 

Gabriel couldn't really explain the shot of jealousy that ran through his system at the thought of some random guy spending the weekend with her, but he knew he had to change the subject.

 

"So you and your uncle are still close?" he asked.

 

"Yeah, we are."

 

"What's his name?"

 

Zora fought with everything she had not to show that her brain had spun into overdrive with how to answer his innocent question. She mentally kicked herself for not coming up with a name to call Adonis before hand. How could she have been so dumb as to overlook that very important detail when she had mentioned her "uncle" to Gabriel on way more than one occasion?! Fuck!!

 

"Don!" she finally said, thanking her lucky stars that she had come up with something before Gabriel had noticed anything. She took a calming breath to prepare herself for any more questions about her "uncle", hoping she wouldn't have to lie. Not being honest with the former Archangel, as well as Castiel and the Winchesters, was starting to eat at her.

 

"He's the one that got you into hunting?" Gabriel asked, having no clue of the near panic attack going on in Zora's head.

 

"He taught me everything I know about monsters and how to kill them." She was more than thrilled that that at least wasn't a lie.

 

"Why didn't he take this case?"

 

"He's actually in Nepal right now, or he would have met me there."

 

"Damn, a hunter that goes international? That's rare."

 

"He's dedicated."

 

"Does he know about the demons after you?"

 

Dammit! What was she supposed to say to that?! Why was he asking so many questions?! She had to stop this. "What's with the game of twenty questions?" she asked, making certain her tone was light and adding a small chuckle for good measure.

 

"Oh, um…" he started, running his hand through his hair. "I'm sorry, I just want to know more about you. I'm not...doing it wrong am I?"

 

She turned her head to look at him for a moment, the uncertainty in his eyes as he met her gaze sending a wave of guilt through her. "Of course not. I'm just not used to someone wanting to know about me."

 

"This used to be so much easier," he confessed. "I relied a lot on my powers to gauge how someone was reacting to me. It's a hell of a lot easier to be a charismatic charmer when you can pretty much guess on how someone is going to take what you are about to say or do. Now that I'm human...I just...it's a lot of guesswork, and I really don't want to screw this up with you."

 

His confession had taken her off guard and she wasn't exactly sure how to respond. She swallowed the urge burning like wildfire inside of her to come clean about everything. 

 

"I really don't think you'll be the one to screw this up, Gabriel," she said honestly. "But, how about this, you already know quite a bit about me...why don't you tell me some stuff about you?"

 

"What do you want to know, sweetheart? I'll tell you anything."

 

"Hmm.." she said thoughtfully. "How about you tell me about those  _ entertaining _ times with Bacchus?"

 

Gabriel threw his head back in laughter before he answered. "If that's what you want, Sugar. Just don't judge me."

 

"I would never."

 

* * *

 

 

The night was calm as Castiel walked through the playground that held the gateway to heaven. A warm breeze blew through the area, causing the swings to gently sway back and forth. The angel halted his steps when he came upon the square sandbox.

 

"Naomi!" he called as he peered up to the sky. "Naomi we need to talk!"

 

He was met with an expected silence and he growled in frustration.

 

"Must we go through this every single time?! You know I'm not going anywhere until I speak with someone!"

 

The sand in the box began to shift and a bright white light swirled upwards. As the light show faded away, the angel Duma appeared before him.

 

"What do you want, Castiel?" she asked, a tone of annoyance heavy in her voice.

 

"It's about Gabriel."

 

"We are aware of Gabriel's condition."

 

"Then you know there is a Duke of Hell after him?"

 

"Yes," Duma huffed. "However, we don't have the manpower to intervene. You know this, Castiel."

 

"I'm not asking you to intervene!" Castiel said, narrowing his eyes. "Our father knows  _ that _ never works out for us. I just need to know if you've caught a glimpse of where his grace landed."

 

Duma's vexed persona waned at his request and gave way to an emotion closer to paranoia as her eyes darted around the playground before her gaze settled back on the angel in front of her. "We tried...but we lost it."

 

"Care to elaborate?"

 

Duma sighed as she finally gave in. "Whatever Eligos did to bring Gabriel back was hidden to us. We weren't even aware Gabriel was alive until the moment he started ripping his wings off. By the time we were sure of what was happening, he was human and his grace was bouncing around the planet. Then, it just vanished."

 

" _ Vanished _ ?! How is that possible?!"

 

"We aren't entirely sure. Archangel grace is different than ours, Castiel. It's...older and more resourceful than ours. Naomi believes it may have cloaked itself and is waiting to be found."

 

"And if Eligos finds it before we do?"

 

The dark expression that now covered his angelic sibling's face told him everything he needed to know.

 

"If we could help we would," Duma said apologetically.

 

"You mean if Gabriel's grace was fully charged and he could do something to help  _ you _ , you would."

 

Ire flashed through Duma's eyes. "He's our brother too, Castiel! Despite what you may think, we do care about you both!"

 

"Then maybe you should think about proving that!" Castiel spat and walked away.

 

"Castiel! Wait!" Duma called.

 

The angel stopped and slowly turned around to face her with an expression showing how done he was with the conversation.

 

"I can't help you find his grace. But...maybe I can help you find Eligos."

 

"How?"

 

"I don't know how valid it is, but there is a rumor Eligos kidnapped a human child after killing the poor girl's mother twenty-three years ago. Whether it's true or not, he went into hiding around the time the event was supposed to have taken place. If he has resurfaced now, and if she exists, there is a good chance that the girl resurfaced with him. I would say if you can find her, you would find Eligos."

 

* * *

 

 

"Deeeeeaaaan!" Zora whined into the phone she was holding to her ear from her seat on the passenger’s side of her car.

Gabriel had taken over driving a few hours prior in order to give Zora some time to sleep. However, as hard as she had tried, she couldn't seem to get her eyes to stay closed long enough to fall into slumber.

 

"We need to stop!" Zora continued. "We've been on the road for fifteen hours and we still have ten to go!"

 

"We need to keep going!" Dean shot back from the other end of the line.

 

"We need sleep!"

 

"We have a case to work! A case  _ you _ brought to us!"

 

"And we aren't going to be any good to anyone if none of us can keep our eyes open!"

 

"Give me the phone," Gabriel said as he extended a hand towards her.

 

Zora gave him a questioning look, but handed him the phone. He winked at her before he brought the phone to his ear.

 

"Alright, Dean-o, here's what's about to happen," Gabriel said into the device. "I'm taking the next exit that has a motel and Zora and I are getting some sleep. You can either go with us, or we will catch up with you in Oregon."

 

Gabriel heard Dean curse under his breath before he responded. "Fine! We'll stop!"

 

Gabriel smiled to himself when he heard the phone disconnect and he handed the device back to Zora.

 

"We're stopping at the next motel we see," he informed her as he focused on the road.

 

"Thank you," she replied with an appreciative smile on her lips.

 

"You're welcome, Sugar."

 

* * *

 

 

"They only had one room available," Dean said as he exited the front office of the cheap motel they had stopped at. His brother, Zora, and Gabriel were standing around their parked cars waiting on him. "The guy said it's got two beds and a pull out couch, so someone's gotta share. Not gonna be me, I don't share, and I didn't even wanna stop." 

 

"I don't think I'll fit on the pull out," Sam said as he cast a sideways glance at Zora and Gabriel.

 

"Whatever," Zora said in exasperation. "I don't mind sharing with Gabriel."

 

"I'm good with it," Gabriel added.

 

"Awesome!" Dean said. "Hey, and it's not like you guys haven't slept in the same bed before, right?"

 

Zora huffed loudly as she strode over to Dean and grabbed the room key from him. "Let's just get in there so we can go to sleep!" she said. After glancing at the room number on the key, she turned and led the way to their accommodation for the night.

 

The four took turns in the bathroom changing into more comfortable clothes to sleep in, and by the time Zora exited the tiny room, wearing a black tank top with matching soffe shorts, the men were already in their respective beds. She padded over to the small pull out bed located on the opposite wall of the two beds Sam and Dean were currently in, and Gabriel scooted his body over to make room for her. The bed wasn't spacious by any means, however there was still enough room for the two of them to sleep comfortably. As she slid underneath the covers, Dean clicked off the small bedside lamp that had been illuminating the room.

 

"No funny business over there you two!" Dean called as he pulled his blankets over himself.

 

Zora opened her mouth for a snide remark, but Gabriel beat her to the punch. "Awe Dean, are you jealous that I get to share a bed with a beautiful woman and you're left over there to your own devices? Or are you jealous that she gets to share-"

 

"Shut up and go to sleep, Gabriel!" Dean barked, and turned to his side.

 

Zora could hear Sam snickering quietly as he, too, turned over to go to sleep.

 

Within a few minutes both Winchester brothers were snoring softly. Zora internally sighed at the ironic turn of events. Dean had been the one dead-set against stopping to get a room, yet he was the first to fall asleep, followed by Sam, then she assumed next would be Gabriel. The former Archangel had been still since his quip to Dean, but she could feel his body heat close to her, along with the slight rise and fall of his breathing. 

 

She turned from her back to her side, trying to get comfortable in the lumpy bed. In the quiet of the dark room with the only sound being soft snoring and the AC wall unit Dean had set to the lowest temperature possible, her mind raced with her anxiety of what they would be walking into the next day. She audibly sighed and rolled to her back, being careful not to disturb Gabriel.

 

The former Archangel's body shifted somewhat closer to her and her mind drifted to waking up in his arms. Being pressed up against his chest had sent her mind sputtering and her instant reaction had been to run. Now, in the dark and cold of the dingy room, all she wanted was to turn to pull him to her, snake her hands up his shirt to feel his warm skin, and press her lips to his. Instead, she turned on her side in the opposite direction with another sigh. Why couldn't she sleep now? 

 

"You alright, Sugar?" Gabriel whispered, turning on his side to face her back, his body moving a little closer to hers.

 

She jumped slightly at his voice. "Can't seem to fall asleep now," she replied. "Sorry if I woke you."

 

He chuckled softly at the thought. Woke him? No, not by a long shot. All he could think about was how close she was, with mere inches between them, yet it still felt like she was on the other side of the room. His arms ached to reach out and pull her against him. Seeing her in those tiny shorts and low cut tank top had sent his mind to fantasies of taking them off of her, and what it was doing to him was evident in the tent a certain part of him was creating in the grey cotton pants he had changed into.

 

"You didn't wake me," he assured her. "I can't sleep either."

 

"Why not?"

 

Because he wanted to hear what she sounded like when she moaned his name. "Just still kinda wound up I guess."

 

"Yeah, me too," she said, letting her body tilt back just enough to graze his.

 

He swallowed the groan threatening to escape him at the ghost of a touch. His face was so close to her neck that the intoxicating scent of her sugar and vanilla body wash enveloped him. He couldn't take it anymore. With an emboldened hand, he reached out to trace his fingers up and down her side. He heard her gasp, but she didn't move to pull away or stop him.

 

"Ya know," he whispered as he started trailing the tip of his nose along her neck, smiling to himself when her head tilted to give him easier access to her skin. "I could help you relax."

 

"Yeah?" she breathed, fighting a moan when he started placing soft kisses on her neck. "What do you have in mind?"

 

"Oh, I have a few ideas running through my mind at the moment," he said, his voice low and husky as his fingers brushed the underside of her breast and he pressed himself flush to her.

 

She fought to get her brain to make coherent thoughts as a sensual sigh fell from her lips at the feeling of his body against hers, his arousal making itself known between them. "G-Gabriel… we… can't have sex with Sam and Dean sleeping five feet away from us." Despite her logic, her hips rocked back into his erection.

 

His arm slipped under her, using the momentum to turn her onto her back so he could look down at her. "Sweetheart, we don't need to have sex for me to make you cum so hard your head spins."

 

Gabriel crushed his lips to hers and his hand slid under her shirt. He caressed the smooth skin of her stomach upwards towards her breasts. Soft moans, that he eagerly drank down, escaped her as he massaged and kneaded the ample swells. Zora felt every nerve in her body flare to life at his touch, and she melted into his kiss with one hand slipping into his hair as the other grasped at his shirt, desperately trying to pull him closer.

 

Her enthusiastic response to him spurred him on. His tongue slipped into her mouth and twisted with hers. The connection between them was more than either had been expecting. A fire was building with hands roaming and exploring, adding more fuel to their flames. Their lips stayed molded together until they both had to pull away, gasping for air, and his head dipped down to find her pulse point. His teeth grazed her skin, followed by his tongue making her whimper as she fought to try and stay quiet. 

 

"Shhhh, Sugar," he whispered as his mouth moved to her ear and his hand ghosted down to the waistband of her shorts. The muscles in her stomach jerking in anticipation as his fingers traced along the fabric. "You don't want to wake the boys." He smirked impishly when she moaned softly and bit her bottom lip as his hand slipped into her shorts and under her panties. "Or do you?"

 

She didn't have time to answer before his middle finger barely traced along her soaking folds. She gasped almost too loudly and her hand gripped his bicep as her back arched. She heard a low growl emit from deep in his chest as his finger found her clit and began tracing slow circles around the tiny bundle of nerves.

 

"Mmm...You're so wet for me already," he purred. "Is all that for me or does the thought of being caught with my fingers deep inside you get you hot?" He slipped two fingers inside of her and she writhed beneath his ministrations as he pumped into her, the heel of his hand stroking her clit with every thrust. "You want them to watch while I finger fuck you, don't you?"

 

His words in her ear and his fingers working magic inside her core was almost too much. Her brain couldn't form words and she bit her bottom lip hard in an attempt to keep from screaming his name. No one had ever been able to turn her on so much or give her so much pleasure with their fingers alone, and she wanted to return the favor. In a quick movement she moved her hand that was between them down his body and into his pants. Another rush of wetness poured from her when she grasped his rock hard cock. He was long and thick, and she knew he was bigger than she had ever had before. She heard him fighting back his own moans when she started moving her hand up and down, twisting slightly toward the tip and using his precum to lubricate.

 

He added a third finger and increased his speed as she continued to work his cock in her hand. She couldn't fight back her keening anymore and a loud moan started to fall from her lips. His free hand quickly came up to cover her mouth and muffle her sounds of pleasure. The simple action sent shockwaves of arousal through her and her walls started to clench around his fingers. She knew she was so very close, and she wanted him to cum with her. He had to bury his face into the crook of her neck when her hold on his cock tightened and the speed of her pumps increased. It didn't take much longer for them both to have their release crash down on them, neither of them halting their movements until the other was twitching and spent. He removed his hand from her mouth as they both fought to return their breathing to normal.

 

"Relaxed now?" Gabriel asked as they both carefully removed their hands from the other.

 

"Mmm...very much," she cooed, a satisfied smile playing on her lips

 

He smiled and placed a soft kiss on her shoulder as he tried to slip his arm around her midsection, however she sat up before he could and bent over the side of the bed.

 

"What are you doing?" he asked, looking at her quizzically.

 

She chuckled as she sat back up with both of their bags in her hand. "Didn't think you wanted to sleep in wet pants," she told him and placed his bag in his lap as he set up.

 

"Oh yeah," he said as realization dawned on him. "I can't just snap my fingers and clean us up...I forgot about that."

 

They both quickly rummaged through their bags until they found clothing to replace what they needed and then hurriedly changed under the blankets. Zora took his bag from him as he settled back into the bed and then replaced it with hers back on the ground. Lying back onto her side, she fully expected him to turn away from her and fall asleep, so when she felt his chest press into her back and his arm wrap around her waist, it completely took her off guard. She tensed at first, not knowing how to react to the intimate gesture, but when he placed another soft kiss to her shoulder, she relaxed into his embrace and let his warmth surround her.

 

"Goodnight, Sweetheart," he whispered.

 

"Goodnight, Gabriel."

 

* * *

 

 

Dean replaced the gas nozzle into its holder as he anxiously glanced back and forth between Gabriel pumping gas into Zora's car and Sam and Zora in line waiting to pay inside the store. He didn't want to have the conversation with the former Archangel that he was thinking about. Unfortunately, he had lost the game of rock, paper, scissors with Sam, and now he had to broach this awkward topic that was technically none of his business.  But he knew his brother was right, and they had to make sure the new human had thought to take precautions with his extra curricular activities. The older Winchester walked over and leaned his backside against the driver's side of Zora's car, earning him a bemused eyebrow raise from Gabriel.

 

"Something on your mind, Dean-o?" Gabriel asked as he replaced the gas nozzle and turned to close the gas door on the car.

 

"Yeah, Gabe, we need to...uh...we need to talk," Dean huffed out quickly.

 

"About?"

 

Dean crossed his arms over his chest and kept his focus on the gas pump in front of him. "You and Zora. Sam and I noticed that you both woke up in different clothes than you went to bed in and-"

 

"It really isn't any of your business what Zora and I did last night, but it's not what you're thinking. We didn't have sex."

 

Dean held up his hand to silence him. "That's not it...well, not exactly. I know it's none of my business, and believe me I really don't want to know. It's just...you're human now...and I know we really don't know what all that entails. But...we just…" Dean sighed in agitation as he searched for the right words. "We just want to make sure you're taking the necessary precautions."

 

"Dean, what the hell are you talking about?"

 

Dean growled as he scrubbed his face with his hands. "I can't believe I'm having this conversation," he grumbled. "Listen, man, we've got a lot of our plates at the moment and we don't need an unplanned pregnancy added to our list of things to deal with."

 

"Oh!" Gabriel said with wide eyes. " _ Oh! _ Yeah, I guess I do have to worry about that now."

 

"Glad we're on the same page. Now, can we never have this conversation again?"

 

"I am  _ so _ on board with that!"

 

"On board with what?" Dean and Gabriel both spun around with a deer in the headlights look to face Zora, who regarded them with a skeptical expression. "What's going on guys?"

 

"Nothing, Sugar," Gabriel recovered quickly. "Dean-o and I were just talking about getting back on the road. I'm just gonna run inside real quick and grab a few things." He walked quickly toward the front entrance of the gas station, stopping to place a quick kiss on her cheek before he left Dean and Zora standing next to her car.

 

Zora lightly touched her cheek where Gabriel's lips had been as she watched him retreat inside the doors. Dean clearing his throat brought her attention back to him.

 

"Where's Sam?" he asked, feeling the need to change the subject.

 

"Bathroom."

 

The elder Winchester nodded slowly and moved toward his own vehicle. "We should be ready to roll when they get out here."

 

"Yeah, absolutely."

 

Without another word the two got into their respective driver's seats, started their engines, and waited for their travel companions.

 

* * *

 

 

The rest of the drive to Roseburg for Zora and Gabriel had been filled with easy conversation and laughter. Their different personalities and quirks seemed to flow and fit together perfectly, and the bond that had been created between them was quickly growing. However, as the Impala and the Malibu crossed the city limits of the town they were heading to, things took a turn.

 

Blinding pain erupted in Gabriel's chest and shoulder blades and he doubled over in his seat while he clutched at his chest. His vision blurred and Zora's terrified voice sounded like it was miles away from him.

 

"Gabriel!" Zora frantically called as she steered her car to the side of the road and threw it into park.

 

She heard the Impala screech to a stop as she bounded out of the car and sprinted to the passenger's side. By the time she had reached Gabriel's door, Sam and Dean were parked and clambering out of the car. They ran to her as she jerked the door open and knelt down beside Gabriel.

 

"Gabriel!" she called again, placing one hand on his back and her other on his chest. "Gabriel talk to me! What's wrong?!"

 

A pained screamed ripped from Gabriel's mouth before he passed out in Zora's arms.

 


	5. Choosing A Side

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Violence, blood, and smut in this chapter.

_**Chapter 5: Choosing A Side** _

 

 

Castiel sat in an uncomfortable wooden chair inside the empty La Salle, Colorado sheriff’s office. He looked about the room as he impatiently waited for the man’s return. After doing some digging and _persuading_ certain bits of information from a few bottom dwelling demons, the angel had pinpointed Eligos' last known sighting twenty-three years ago to the small town. After what seemed like hours, the sheriff came walking back into the room with a blue folder in his hand.

 

"So, agent," the sheriff started as he sat down at his desk, regarding the angel suspiciously. "You wanna tell me why the FBI suddenly has an interest in a cold case that's over twenty years old that they couldn't _waste their resources on_ back then?"

 

"New administration," Castiel said confidently. "The higher ups have assigned a few of us to look over old cases."

 

"I see."

 

"Sheriff Holt, I know this is a huge inconvenience for you, but any information you can give me would be more than helpful."

 

Holt sighed as he leaned back into his chair. "I'll tell you what I know, but I think you're going to have a hard time believing some of it."

 

"You'll find I'm very open minded."

 

"We'll see about that," Holt chuckled. "I was a rookie when it happened, only been on the force for about two months. I got a call to respond to a car fire. My partner and I got there the same time as the fire department and we all quickly realized there were still two females inside the inferno. We found out later it was a mother and daughter. We fought to get them out, but we were too late to save the mother."

 

"But you were able to save the daughter?"

 

Holt pursed his lips as he anxiously looked around the room. "Yes." He stood from his chair and crossed to close the door to his office. With Castiel watching him with interest he took his seat. "But...she shouldn't have survived."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

"We tried to get to her first, but… every time we got close to her the flames got higher, it was like the damn fire had a mind of its own! We were forced to make the call to get the mother out and retreat. Just as we pulled the corpse from the wreckage the damn thing exploded! Put my partner and three firefighters in the ICU! I watched that poor little girl get thrown through the air from the force and land eight hundred feet away, and she didn't land easy! I ran to her as fast as I could, and when I got there...when I saw her…"

 

"It was that bad?"

 

"No. Agent...there wasn't a scratch or a burn anywhere on the girl. If she hadn't of been unconscious and I hadn't of seen her sail through the air with my own eyes, I would have sworn she wasn't in that car."

 

Castiel's mind whirred with possible reasons why this little girl had been unharmed, each one making less sense than the last. "What did you do with her?"

 

"I brought her to the hospital. It was the only thing I knew to do."

 

"What did the doctors say?" Castiel asked, urging the sheriff on.

 

"The girl woke up on the way to the hospital, and after that she wouldn't let anyone touch her. She just kept screaming that the man with the black eyes was going to kill her. Somehow, we convinced her to let us put her in a room at the hospital in hopes that she would eventually let someone check her out or tell us something. There was no identification that survived the blaze and the girl wouldn't even tell us her name."

 

Holt released a ragged breath as he prepared for the next part of his story.

 

"I was tasked with guarding her door," he continued. "About three in the morning, I heard her scream and I rushed in to find a man in a white suit dragging her off the bed by her hair. I tried to get her from him, but he must have got a hit on me, because the next thing I knew I was waking up to a room full of doctors, nurses, and other cops asking what the hell happened and where the girl was."

 

"Did you ever find any trace of the girl or the man who took her?"

 

"No," Holt said, unhindered guilt dripping in his tone. "The only other feature, other than what he was wearing, that I could remember were his eyes, and I'm not even sure if that's accurate!"

 

Castiel felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. "What was wrong with his eyes?"

 

Holt sighed and ran a hand down his face. "You're gonna think I'm crazy."

 

"Try me."

 

"His eyes were green, but...for a second, before I blacked out, I could have sworn...his eyes...they...they…"

 

"They turned black?"

 

"No," Holt said, looking directly into Castiel's eyes. "They were yellow."

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel jerked awake, taking in a sharp breath and startling the tall nurse in baby blue scrubs changing an IV bag. They stayed locked in each other's gaze for a moment before he quickly took in his surroundings. He was in a hospital room laying propped up in a medical bed. Looking down at himself he saw the hospital gown he wore, an IV needle inserted into his left arm, and a pulse oximeter attached to his index finger. He could also feel the electrodes stuck to his chest that were attached to a heart monitor. His eyes shot back to the nurse who seemed to have regained her composure.

 

"Well, hello Mr. Wilks. It's good to see you awake," she said with a friendly smile on her face.

 

Mr. Wilks? Who the hell did she think she was talking to? "Where am I?"

 

"Mercy Medical Center in Roseburg," she informed him as she reached down to check his pulse on his wrist. He jerked away from her and she pursed her lips. "Would you like me to get your wife, sir?"

 

"My wife?" he questioned. Just what in the world was going on here. The last thing he remembered was laughing with Zora in her car and then...a rush of memories hit him like a ton of bricks. He needed to see Zora and the Winchesters, and he needed to see them now.

 

"Yes, your wife" the nurse said with a chuckle. "Petite little blonde with purple streaks in her hair? She and your brothers brought you in a few hours ago after you passed out on them."

 

"Yes!" Gabriel exclaimed with a little too much gusto, making the nurse jump. He willed himself to calm his tone before he spoke next. "Yes, please, would you go get all three of them?"

 

"Of course, Mr. Wilks," she said with the pleasant smile back on her face. She turned and started to cross the room to the door. "Your next in the doctor's rounds, so you should see him shortly," she tossed over her shoulder before she exited.

 

Less than two minutes later, the door to his room flew open and Zora came sprinting inside. He was barely able to register the tears in her eyes before her arms were around his neck with her body slumped against him.

 

"Gabriel!" she sniffled. "You scared me to death! I was so afraid that-"

 

"Hey, it's OK, Sugar," he soothed as his arms wrapped around her. "I'm fine."

 

Zora knew she should let him go, knew she was probably causing him more stress than she should by supporting her weight. But, she just couldn't. Seeing him doubled over in so much pain that he didn't hear her and the Winchesters calling his name had torn her apart. She had spent over twenty years under the thumb of a Duke of Hell, yet when Gabriel’s body went slack in her arms, she’d never felt more helpless.

 

"I'm sorry I wasn't here when you woke up. They were running all these tests on you and wouldn't let us back here," she told him, her voice thick with emotion.

 

"You're here now. That's all that matters," he said as he carded his fingers through her hair.

 

Someone clearing their throat broke their embrace, and as Zora moved to stand next to his bed they found Sam and Dean standing just inside the room.

 

"Hey man, you alright?" Dean asked.

 

"What happened?" Sam added to the question.

 

"Shut the door," Gabriel instructed. "We need to talk." He waited for Dean to do as he had been asked before he continued. "My body was reacting to my grace."

 

" _YOUR GRACE?!"_ the other three exclaimed together.

 

Zora felt her stomach twist and churn. He sensed it. What would Eligos do if he knew? Deep down, she knew exactly what the demon Duke would do to the former Archangel.

 

"Is it here?!" Dean asked.

 

"No, not anymore," Gabriel said, his face showing signs of his brain searching for a way to explain himself. "I think it may have ricocheted off of some place in this town. I can still feel the pull from it. My guess is if we follow it, we'll find those werewolves. They would be able to feel the energy coming off of the place where it bounced if they happened to cross over it."

 

"Then we need to get you out of here," Sam declared.

 

"My thoughts exactly," Gabriel agreed. "Where are my clothes."

 

"Guys wait!" Zora interjected, trying to be the voice of reason. "We should really wait on the doctor to see what he says."

 

"Sugar, they aren't going to tell us anything we don't already know. There isn't anything medically wrong with me. The pain was from the shock to my system. I know what it is now and I can acclimate to it. There won't be a repeat of what happened in the car."

 

Zora sighed and nodded reluctantly. "I'll go get your clothes."

 

* * *

 

 

Getting out of the hospital had not been a simple task. When Gabriel had walked out of the bathroom fully dressed, the doctor had walked in. He had urged the former Archangel to stay at least until the results of the CT scan and MRI came back. Gabriel had refused, and so started the back and forth with the medical professional telling the four of them that leaving now could be dangerous, they had no clue what had caused his episode, and unless they did, there was a good chance it would happen again. Gabriel was steadfast that he was fine and there was nothing they could do for him.

 

Thirty minutes later as the sun was setting, and after Gabriel trying to convince Zora and the Winchesters to let him handle this on his own (an argument which the former Archangel had lost pretty quickly), they were in their vehicles speeding away from the hospital. Dean followed behind as Gabriel had opted to drive Zora's car and direct them to where the pull he felt was leading him.

 

Zora stared out the passenger's side window with her mind racing. The amount of worry she felt for the man next to her had taken her by surprise. But, it wasn't just what had put him in the hospital that scared her.

 

He could sense that his grace had made contact in this town.

 

Her job had been to find out if he could do that. She should have called Eligos the second it was revealed to her. The fear of the wrath that she knew was coming her way when the Duke found out she didn't paled in comparison to the sickness in her stomach when she thought about him getting his hands on Gabriel. Could she really lead him and the Winchesters into the demon's clutches? They had all been so nice to her and she had started to care for them, even Castiel. What she felt for Gabriel, however, she had never felt before. Never had she connected with someone the way she had the former Archangel, and the way she felt with his hands on her the night before had, for lack of a better term, truly rocked her world. But, what had meant more was him still wanting her in his arms when they were done. Intimacy was a foreign concept to her and she had always shunned away from anything like it, but falling asleep in his arms had somehow felt right.

 

Aside from all of that, they were about to throw themselves into the center of a pack of werewolves and none of them even knew how many they were up against or if they had been affected by the grace impact that Gabriel had felt. There was no calling Adonis if things went sideways, even if she could find the warding keeping the demons out. He was so deep in the Himalayan Mountain Range by now she wasn't sure summoning him by spell would work, let alone a phone call. And calling Eligos for help...she would rather chew her own arm off.

 

"You're awfully quiet over there," Gabriel said, pulling her from her inner turmoil. "What's on your mind, Sugar?"

 

Zora laughed cynically as she turned to him. "You ask that like we are taking a leisurely Sunday drive instead of about to go knock over a den of werewolves that have gathered around where Archangel grace touched down. Sam told me about the monsters Michael amped up with his grace. What if they have been altered in someway, too?! We are going in blind! It's a beyond stupid move!"

 

"You don't think I know that?" he asked. "I know how dangerous this is, but people in this town are dying, because of me. I can't and won't walk away from this. If you want to sit this one out, believe me, nothing would make me happier than taking you somewhere I know you'll be safe-"

 

"I'm not letting you do this alone, Gabriel!" The willingness she had to follow him out of the frying pan and into the fire had surprised her, but she didn't regret her decision for a second, which scared her even more.

 

"Just... promise me something," he said.

 

"What?"

 

"If things go wrong-"

 

"Gabriel, no!"

 

"Zora! Please! If things go wrong, promise me you'll get out. Call Cas and then let him take care of it."

 

"Gabriel!" she said pleadingly.

 

"Promise me!"

 

Zora swallowed the lump in her throat when she glanced over to him and was met with his desperate eyes. "I promise," she whispered as an ominous feeling settled over her.

 

* * *

 

 

Night had fallen by the time the quartet made it to the back property line of the abandoned ranch Gabriel's senses had led them to. They parked their cars in a brush covered area of the woods and silently pulled out guns loaded with silver bullets and machetes sharp enough to split a single hair. Dean quietly shut his trunk and he and his brother made their way over to where Gabriel and Zora stood at her open trunk.

 

"One more thing," Zora said as she reached into the hiding spot that held her weapons. She pulled out a small clear, plastic spray bottle filled with an inky black substance.

 

"What the hell is that?" Dean asked.

 

"A hoodoo woman in New Orleans gave it to me as a thank you," Zora explained. "A couple sprays of this stuff and your scent is masked from everything besides angels and demons."

 

"That's handy," Sam said with a smile.

 

"Yeah," Gabriel added. "Kind of interested in what you did to receive such a gift."

 

"Story for another time," she responded with a wink. She proceeded to spray each of them with the substance and then herself. "Let's get this over with," she said as she closed her trunk.

 

"Alright guys," Dean started, taking the lead. "We stay together, find out how many of these bastards we are dealing with, and then take them out. We will deal with the grace thing once we don't have things crawling around that want to eat us." He waited for their nods of agreement, then he and Gabriel led the way onto the ranch.

 

They walked slowly under the cover of the trees surrounding the property. Not being able to use flashlights, they took great care with every step they took, trying to make as little noise as possible through the dry and crunchy ground. The journey seemed to take forever as they trudged through acre after acre of brittle land. Then, as if there had been a line drawn, the dying foliage suddenly turned to thick, lush greenery that led to a clearing filled with unrealistically large wildflowers in every color known to nature, with designs on the petals only found in the most beautiful of artwork. Thick vines sprouted up from the ground and wrapped around surrounding trees. The trees were at least three times taller than the ones they had been walking through, and were flourishing in a way that almost seemed like something one would see in a fairy tale.

 

"Whoa!" Zora breathed as she took in the mesmerizing sight.

 

"Welcome to grace ground zero," Gabriel said quietly as he walked into the clearing, letting his fingertips softly brush the tips of the flowers.

 

The plants appeared to react to his presence, vibrating with energy as he came into contact. The moon hanging high in the night sky cast beams of soft light over the former Archangel that almost made him appear to glow with an ethereal light. The Winchesters and Zora watched Gabriel with wide eyes and their breaths caught in their throats, each questioning if they were really seeing what was in front of them. The light inside the clearing started to tremble and move toward the former Archangel, searching for him.

 

Gabriel had stilled his movements, the feeling of his grace flowing through the land nearly taking his breath away. But, it was different in someway. It felt... stronger, almost as if it had started to recharge itself at an exponential rate once it had left his body. His skin tingled as the remnants of his power covered his body, trying to seep back to where it belonged, where it wanted so desperately to be again.

 

A shock of electricity shot through his body and his eyes lit up with a white light. He could see it! See the path that his grace had taken from where he ripped it out in that corn field in Colorado to where he stood now, then to Alaska causing new trees to sprout in land that had been useless for over a decade. It ricocheted from there to the Sahara desert where it created a thriving oasis in the middle of the sweltering sand. Deep into the waters of the Indian ocean was next to be impacted. The heavenly essence plunged into the waters down to the sea floor, pulling up a small new thriving island when it started back to the surface. Gabriel followed the path to a few more places around the globe, seeing the unbarred creation that was left in its wake, and finally he saw his essence crash land at its resting place and then protectively seal its presence from any being but himself.

 

Gabriel sucked in a sharp breath as the ranch’s surroundings barged back into his senses. It took him a moment for him to realize he was on his knees with the Winchesters and Zora crowded around him, frantic and terrified expressions claiming their features.

 

"I know where it is!" Gabriel choked out.

 

"Your grace?!" Dean questioned hastily.

 

"Yes!"

 

"Where?!" Sam asked, his tone matching his brother's.

 

"Guys," Zora said. "This is absolutely fantastic and definitely something we need to handle, but with the light show that just came from here, our element of surprise has been thrown out the window. We need to go!"

 

"But you just got here, and we're a little hungry."

 

The sound of the male voice had the four jumping back to their feet and reaching for their guns. Two men with werewolf claws and fangs prominently displayed grinned wickedly at them and charged in their direction, colliding with Sam and Dean and taking them to the ground before their weapons were fully drawn. Zora and Gabriel moved to assist, but were surprised by two more werewolves springing from the woods beside them and tackling them to the dirt as well. Four guns went flying through the air and machetes were wrestled away as the four humans fought against the monsters, the latter quickly starting to gain the upper hand and subduing them. They were forced to their knees with their hands firmly held behind their backs with a strength that none of them could seem to overpower.

 

"Allow me to introduce us," the wolf holding Zora sneered as he pulled her hair to guide her head in the direction he wanted while using one hand to hold her wrists. Thunder clapped and storm clouds rolled in overhead as Zora glared at the werewolf. "I'm Jonah, and over there," he indicated the werewolf restraining Gabriel with his head, " is Marcus," inclining in Dean's direction, "James," then gesturing to the wolf holding down Sam, "and Matthew." Jonah dropped his head down level with Zora's. "We'll be the ones you'll be spilling your guts to this evening, in more ways than one." He breathed in deeply at Zora's neck. "You smell different."

 

"Get your hands off of her!" Gabriel snarled.

 

Jonah looked up to Gabriel with a dark and twistedly gleeful expression. "Seems I've hit a nerve. Is she yours?"

 

Gabriel simply glared daggers in return.

 

"Tell ya what," Jonah said. "Tell me what that little light show was all about and I'll make sure you don't see her die." He turned his head to look at Zora and he let her move her head of her own accord to face him. "I think that's a pretty good deal. Don't ya think so, Sweetheart?"

 

Another loud rumble of thunder echoed through the night, followed by streaks of lightning.

 

"Don't call me 'Sweetheart' you overgrown flea bag," Zora growled, and then head-butted Jonah in the nose as hard as she possibly could.

 

"FUCKING BITCH!" Jonah roared as he threw her to the ground with blood pouring from his nose.

 

The moment her skin came in contact with the grace grown vines covering the ground, she felt them winding around her and covering her body quicker than her brain could process. Suddenly she was gone, as were the dark clouds in the sky.

 

"Where the hell did she go?!" Marcus yelled as he tightened his grip on Gabriel enough to puncture his skin with his claws.

 

With the werewolves arguing amongst themselves about what had just happened, Gabriel glanced between the Winchester brothers, who were staring at him with wide eyes full of questions. For now, all he could do was shrug, but he knew exactly what had happened. He could feel it deep within himself. When Zora had connected with the foliage grown by his grace it had reacted to what it knew its owner had wanted more than anything at the moment, which was to get the girl to safety. What he didn't know was just how strong that residual grace was and how far it would have been able to send her, and there was no way for him to find out because that exertion of energy had drained whatever had been left in the land. Gabriel could see the greenery slowly shrinking back down to what it was before his grace bounced in.

 

"Now what the hell is happening?!" James demanded looking around at the dying foliage.

 

"Bring the hunters back to the house!" Jonah ordered as he wiped blood from his face with his sleeve. "Make sure they can't get free!"

 

"Where are you going?!" Matthew asked.

 

"To find that bitch and make her bleed!"

 

* * *

 

 

Zora opened her eyes and found herself lying in the back seat of her car. Her head swiveled from side to side as she took in the familiar setting. How had she gotten here? She remembered the vines enveloping her body, then a loud buzzing had filled her ears and a familiar warmth took hold. Gabriel's warmth. Had the remnants of his grace teleported her away from the werewolves? Despite how completely insane the idea sounded to her, she somehow _knew_ that that is what had happened.

 

She had made a promise to Gabriel that if things had gone wrong she would get herself out and call Castiel to let him deal with it, and she knew that's exactly what she should do. However, it was _not_ what she was going to do. Sam and Dean were in trouble. _Gabriel_ was in trouble. She had to help them, no matter what. She just hoped Gabriel would forgive her for breaking her promise.

 

Zora quickly got out over her car and pulled her keys from her pocket to open the trunk. Pulling up the false bottom to reveal her weapons and ammunition, her eyes took stock of what she had. She had lost her gun and machete in the fight, but she had other guns, more silver bullets, and a camping axe. She ticked off the rest of the items in her trunk, trying to form a plan in her head. She grabbed a handgun and quickly loaded it with the silver bullets. How the fuck was she supposed to take on _FOUR_ werewolves by herself?

 

They had seen the bluish white lights that had engulfed the area when Gabriel entered the clearing. The former Archangel had mentioned that the wolves would feel the energy coming from the place. Maybe they had an idea of what it was, and maybe she could use their curiosity against them.

 

"There you are!"

 

Zora turned on her heel to see Jonah coming from the woods. How the hell had he found her so fast?! She watched him sniff the air as he slowly stepped forward.

 

"What are you?" Jonah asked slowly as he looked her up and down.

 

"The girl whose about to put your lights out," she said confidently as she cocked her gun and aimed it at his chest.

 

"Not what I meant," he said with a chuckle. "Whatever you used to mask your human scent magnified the part of you that... isn't."

 

Zora knew she had made a mistake in hesitating on pulling the trigger. She knew better, but his words had done exactly what he had wanted them to do, and he took the opportunity to lung at her with his fangs bared. The werewolf crashed into her, sending her gun skidding down the dirt road and coming to a stop near the back of the Impala. Jonah's hands closed around Zora's neck as he straddled her chest, holding her arms down with his knees. Using his leverage he banged her head against the ground.

 

"What did you do with the grace that landed here?!" he demanded.

 

"I don't know what you're talking about!" she choked out.

 

"LIAR!" Jonah's eyes showed his teetering sanity as he lifted her head to smash it into the dirt again.

 

Zora's world blurred and spun with the impact. She had to get out of this! "Alright! I'll tell you where it is!"

 

An unnerving smile crept onto the werewolf's face. "Now that's a good little bitch! Where?!"

 

"There's a cardboard box in my trunk, I bottled it and hid it there!"

 

Jonah quickly released her and scrambled to her trunk, and Zora hastily sprung to her feet to locate her gun. The werewolf tore through the box that was full of mini glow sticks, throwing the tiny pieces of plastic about and scattering them throughout the trunk and on the ground. His ire grew with a roar when he couldn't find what he was looking for.

 

"There is nothing here but a bunch of fucking glow sticks!!" Jonah shouted as he whirled around to grab Zora.

 

The werewolf froze when he came face to face with the barrel of a gun. His eyes cut to Zora as she smiled and lowered the gun to point at his heart.

 

"Oops, I lied," she said and pulled the trigger.

 

She watched as the light left Jonah's eyes and his lifeless body crumbled to the ground. Her eyes darted around the scene. Now what? Her gaze fell on the blue and white glow sticks littering the ground. A smile slowly spread across her lips as a plan finally formed in her mind.

 

* * *

 

 

The old ranch house where the werewolves had taken up residence had long since been abandoned and forgotten. All the furniture and outdated appliances had been removed, leaving just a shell of crumbling sheetrock and rotting wood where the rustling of wildlife could be heard. The once bright and cheery paint on the walls was now dingy and peeling. The light fixtures had been taken down to the bulb sockets and now housed various bugs and other creepy-crawly life. Floorboards were dried and cracked, covered with a layer of dirt and grime so thick that there was no evidence of the carpet and tile that had once laid beautifully upon it.

 

The Winchesters brothers and Gabriel had been forced to a sitting position, the former Archangel in between the two brothers. The barrels of their guns were pressed to the back of their heads while the wolves handcuffed their arms above their heads to an old galvanized steel pipe that ran horizontally through a large hole in the wall of what used to be a kitchen. Once restrained, they had been searched for any hidden weapons or lock picks that they may have had. The wolves then took turns keeping watch over the three, but after Jonah didn't return after an hour, they started to become antsy. It wasn't long until all three monsters were prowling the grounds searching for their apparent leader, leaving the Winchesters and Gabriel alone in the room.

 

"So, you want to explain to us what the hell happened back there?" Dean asked as he craned his neck to peer inside the hole and gauge just how attached to the wall the steel pipe was.

 

"What was left of my grace in that spot reacted to my want to get Zora to safety," Gabriel explained, trying to extend his hand through the cuffs to reach a nail poking just out of the wood above him.

 

"Are you powered up again?" Sam asked, staring at the former Archangel. "Where is Zora?"

 

Gabriel turned agitated eyes to the younger Winchester. "If I had my mojo back do you really think we would be chained to this wall?" he asked dryly. When he was met with silence, he continued. "I don't know where she is. I just hope it's far away from here."

 

"Seriously?!" Dean exclaimed. "She may be our only hope of getting out of here in one piece!"

 

"You two have gotten out of worse situations than this," Gabriel reminded him, hoping his father was listening to his prayer about Zora keeping her promise to him.

 

Dean grunted his response as he started pulling on his restraints in an attempt to wrench the pipe loose. "I think if we all pull at the same time we can pry this son of a bitch loose."

 

"It's worth a shot," Sam agreed as Gabriel nodded.

 

Before they could implement their plan, the three werewolves entered the room through a door in the corner of the room that led outside. Disgruntled expressions were on their faces as they talked quietly amongst themselves. The Winchesters shared a curious look with the former Archangel before Marcus turned on them and stalked forward and grabbed Dean by the throat.

 

"Why don't you three have a scent?!" the werewolf demanded.

 

"Maybe you're losing your grip on your senses," Dean spat, earning him a punch across the face.

 

"You worthless piece of-" Marcus froze mid sentence and spun around, his attention locking on the door he had just entered.

 

The other wolves did the same, all of them seeming to relax their posture a fraction.

 

"Jonah?" James questioned.

 

In the next instant, the door burst open to reveal Zora standing in the doorway wearing the blood stained jacket Jonah had once wore and holding up a dirty half-pint mason jar that held a glowing bluish white liquid in one hand and carrying Sam's green duffle bag in the other.

 

"Hey freaks!" she shouted as she threw the bag toward Sam's feet. When the bag connected with his foot he instantly knew she had stuffed the bag with weapons. "Looking for this?" she asked the wolves teasingly and shook the jar for emphasis.

 

"The grace!" Matthew bellowed.

 

Zora hastily turned and took off running back toward the woods with the three angry werewolves hot on her heels.

 

"ZORA!" Gabriel and the Winchesters screamed together as they scrambled to brace themselves the best they could on their feet so they could position their bodies to yank on the pipe.

 

"On three!" Gabriel ordered, looking back and forth between the two brothers and waiting for them to nod. "One...two...THREE!!!"

 

* * *

 

 

Zora tore through the trees, making sure to brush the jacket she wore over every possible surface. She then took a sharp right back towards the main part of the ranch when she was sure all three of the monsters were in the woods with her. She had taken the time to plot out the land until she saw all three wolves on the ground. It had given her just enough time to find the run down stable behind the house, which she was running to now.

 

She tucked the mason jar inside her jacket and pulled the side door of the stable open, making as much noise as she could, hoping the wolves would be too engrossed with her to hear the sound of the Winchesters and Gabriel bounding out of the house. Once inside she hurried to the two large double doors at the front  of the stable and latched the iron lock. The wolves entered the barn just as she was turning around and drawing her gun. She cocked the gun when she heard the door slam shut and another iron lock latch into place. Her first shot exploded from the barrel as Marcus turned the corner, the round hitting home in his chest.

 

He crumpled to the ground as loud banging erupted from the other side of the double doors, followed by frantic shouts of her name, calls she had to ignore when Matthew came lunging from one of the stalls to her right. She ducked and dodged his advances, her eyes never ceasing the search for the third and final werewolf she knew was stalking her. Leaping into one of the horse stalls, Zora pulled the camping axe from the jacket she wore and pushed herself into the front corner, hiding behind the large column of wood...waiting.

 

Her hunting companions' calls were turning fearful as they realized they couldn't break through the double doors and were now starting a search for another entry. Zora wasn't biding her time long before Marcus's snarling form entered the stall. There was no hesitation as she swung and sunk the blade of the axe into the wolf’s carotid artery. Marcus roared as blood gushed from his neck, covering the ground and splattering all over Zora. The wolf quickly lost his footing and slipped in his own blood, landing flat on his back. She took her chance and fired three shots into his heart.

 

The Winchesters and Gabriel were now doing their best to break down the door she had entered through, and she hopped over Marcus' body into the waiting hold of James.

 

"You fucking bitch!" he growled as he threw her into a wooden beam in the center of the stable house.

 

The force of the impact knocked her gun from her hands into the dark, causing the mason jar to fall from the coat. The glass shattered on the ground, spilling water and tiny blue and white glow sticks onto the ground. James roared in anger when he finally realized he had been had.

 

"I'm going to enjoy ripping your fucking heart out!" he snarled when his eyes traveled back to her face.

 

"Then bring it on Fido!" she seethed, and lunged forward, using the momentum of her body to put all of her weight into tackling him.

 

James was ready for her, sidestepping her attack and grabbing her by the arm. He jerked her back to him twisting her arm up her back. Zora bit back the pain, a scream threatening to rip from her. She wouldn't give this bastard the satisfaction of knowing how much he was hurting her.

 

It was then that they both were tackled to the ground. Fists started to fly at the wolf as arms wrapped around her torso and pulled her from his grasp, turning her to where her back was pressed up against her savior's chest, dragging her away from the fight. She could see now that Sam and Dean were the ones pummeling the monster, which meant Gabriel was the one who was pulling her away. The former Archangel only stopped when shots rang out through the stable house and James slumped lifeless on the ground with Sam and Dean both pointing their still smoking guns at him.

 

"Where's the other one?!" Gabriel demanded, his arms still protectively locked around her torso like he was afraid she would vanish.

 

"Dead," she replied quickly.

 

Sam had knelt to inspect the wet, broken glass and illuminated glow sticks on the ground. He looked up to her with a proud smile on his face. "Clever."

 

"Thanks. Figured they might be dumb enough to fall for it.” She half-smiled at him as she let herself lean into Gabriel. "We should get the hell out of here."

 

* * *

 

 

The Winchesters, Gabriel, and Zora had wasted no time in removing themselves from the old ranch. They had gathered what was theirs and sprinted back to the waiting vehicles. Engines were cranked before the doors were even all the way closed. Dean lead the way in the Impala, while Gabriel followed from the driver's seat of Zora's car. The first interstate on ramp the elder Winchester saw he took, then both he and the former Archangel sped as fast as they could down the near deserted stretch of highway.

 

They drove for three hours before Dean felt comfortable enough to stop, a ride which had been taken in mostly complete silence between Zora and Gabriel. The former Archangel was fuming over the actions the girl sitting to his right had taken, and he knew he needed to calm himself down before he spoke. She had tried to talk to him at first, but had quickly realized it wasn't a good idea. She had expected him to be upset with her, but not to the point he wouldn't talk to her.

 

Gabriel followed the Impala as it pulled off onto an exit leading to a motel. They waited in silence while Dean went into the front office to acquire a room and then followed him to park in front of said room. No words were spoken between any of them as they took what they would need for the night out of their vehicles and filed inside. The moment the door was closed behind them Dean rounded on Zora with anger etched into his features.

 

"You wanna tell me just what in the fuck you were thinking taking on _THREE_ werewolves by yourself?!" he shouted.

 

Zora's eyes widened in surprise at his sudden outburst.

 

"Technically it was four," Gabriel added flatly as he took a seat at the small table across the room to watch the scene play out.

 

Zora glared at Gabriel as thunder rolled in the distance before she turned back to meet the elder Winchester’s expectant gaze. He seriously wanted an answer? How could he not already know? She was vaguely aware of Sam hovering nearby. "What do you mean what was I thinking?!" she said, matching his tone. "I was thinking you three were about to be Alpo and needed to be rescued!"

 

"You locked yourself in a fucking stable house with them!" Dean's voice was getting higher, but his effort to not go overboard was apparent.

 

"I had it under control!" she argued.

 

"No, you didn't," Gabriel interjected in a calm voice that sent a shiver up Zora's spine and quelled most of her anger. He was beyond mad at her.

 

"Gabe's right!" Dean said. "If we hadn't of busted that door down when we did we would be building a pyre for you instead of having this conversation!"

 

"Like you've never made any questionable decisions to save the people you cared about!" Her words had taken her off guard. It was the first time she had admitting caring for them out loud. That's why she had risked her life. Not for Eligos and his demented plans, but to save people she cared about.

 

"That's beside the point!" Dean yelled, breaking her out of her thoughts

 

"No it's not!" she shouted back.

 

"GUYS!" Sam finally yelled over them. "That's enough! Should she have locked herself in with the wolves? No. But you gotta admit, her plan to distract them and get us weapons was brilliant, and she's right, every single one of us has done something stupid to help each other out of some pretty sticky situations. If anything, I think her stunt tonight just made her an honorary Winchester." He slipped his arm around her shoulders and peered down at her with a warm smile. "And I for one am very glad to have my new sister." He turned back to his brother. "And we have more important matters to deal with at the moment, like Gabe's grace."

 

Dean nodded and turned to the former Archangel, as did Sam and Zora.

 

"What did you see?" Sam asked as his arm fell from Zora's shoulders.

 

Gabriel sighed as he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees and clasped his hands together. "I saw the path my grace took when I ripped it out of me. It bounced off a few places before it finally settled."

 

"Where did it end up?" Dean asked.

 

"In Wellington, Ohio at the abandoned paper mill where you two found out who I really was."

 

"Why there?" Sam asked.

 

"Whether you two realized it or not, that was a pretty significant incident in my life. It's where I finally accepted the Archangel side of myself again after thousands of years of keeping it locked down and pretending to be Loki."

 

"Should we go get it then?" Zora asked.

 

"Honestly, it would probably be a better plan if we find Eligos and take him out first. My grace has sealed itself away, and the only one that can get to it is me. It's safer for everyone if that bastard doesn't have the chance to darken it, because I'm pretty sure it's been recharged."

 

Zora was suddenly sick to her stomach and moved to sit in the chair across from Gabriel at the table. She had every piece of information Eligos had been hoping for and then some. Would she really be able to lead Gabriel and the Winchesters to the Duke? Sam had just claimed her as part of their family, and Gabriel...the idea of losing him to whatever Eligos would turn him into by darkening his grace made her want to run to the bathroom and empty the contents of her stomach.

 

"Wouldn't it be better for us to have a fully powered Archangel on our side then?" Dean asked. "I mean, from what we've found this guy is pretty powerful and has a literal army behind him!"

 

"And if Eligos gets a hold of me? What then Dean?!" Gabriel demanded as he peered up at the elder Winchester from his chair. "He turns my grace and that's it! Game over! He'll use me to burn this whole world to nothing and there won't be anything that can stop it!"

 

"Gabe's right," Sam said. "At least for now it might be best if we keep this under wraps."

 

"We at least need to talk to Cas before we make any big decisions," Gabriel added. "Has anyone heard from him since we left?"

 

"I called him while we were at the hospital. He said he was following a lead and would call when he had more information," Dean informed them.

 

"Then let's get some food, get some rest, and then regroup back at home," Sam said.

 

The other three agreed, and after finding a restaurant that was still open after midnight, Sam and Dean left to go retrieve their food.

 

Gabriel and Zora sat in a heavy silence for a moment. She looked over to him and he met her gaze. She could feel the ire still within him and it twisted her stomach even more.

 

"Are you really that mad at me?" Zora asked quietly.

 

Gabriel sighed, running his hands through his hair as he stood. "You promised me, Zora!" His tone still held an overly calm tone, making her wish he would just yell at her like Dean had done.

 

"You're right. I did, and I don't regret it," she said as she stood to face him. "I had to save you! I had to save you all!"

 

"Not by risking yourself the way that you did!" His voice was getting louder now. "The way you went about it was reckless and idiotic!"

 

"They were going to kill you!"

 

"They almost _did_ kill you!"

 

"What does it even matter now?! Everything turned out fine!"

 

" _BECAUSE I CAN'T HANDLE LOSING YOU!_ "

 

Gabriel quickly reached out and took her by the hips, pulling her to him and crushing his lips to hers. Her fingers twisted into his hair and he slipped his tongue into her mouth, deepening their kiss. Their tongues twisted and dueled, fueling the fire that had been building between them and turning it into a need that neither of them could deny anymore.

 

With deft fingers he found the button of her jeans and hastily undid them, jerking them down along with her panties before he spun her around and bent her over the table. He massaged and kneaded her ass cheeks and then slipped his hand down to sink a finger into her core, groaning when he heard her loud moan of pleasure and felt how wet she already was. He pumped his fingers while he unfastened his own pants with his other hand and pulled out his rock hard cock. Removing his hand from her folds he ran the tip of himself through her folds, coating himself in her slick.

 

"Oh Gabe!" she gasped, the nickname flowing from her lips like she had used it a thousand times. "Fuck me, Gabe! Please fuck me!"

 

A satisfied smirk crossed his lips as he bent his body over her, his cock barely pressing against her folds to speak near her ear. "Is that what you want, Sugar?" His voice was low and husky with lust. "You want me to take you right on this table? Fill you up until you're screaming my name?"

 

"Fuck! Yes, Gabe! Yes!"

 

He raised up, gripping on to her hips, then slammed into her. She screamed his name, the delicious stretch of her walls accommodating to his size taking her breath away. He started to move inside her and her senses exploded. He felt so good deep within her, his cock brushing every sensitive spot inside of her with every brutal snap of his hips.

 

"Fuck!" he growled. "You feel so good wrapped around my cock, Sweetheart!"

 

The table creaked underneath her as she moaned and screamed his name. The ability to say any other word had been lost and she could feel a hot coil of pleasure building in her stomach. She desperately tried to fend off her release, not wanting this moment to end. Time seem to lose all meaning as he pounded into her. It could have been minutes, or for all they knew, hours. The only thing either could focus on was the overwhelming feeling of ecstasy coursing through them as the slapping of skin on skin and their cries filled the room.

 

"Gabe!" she whimpered. "Gabe, I'm close!"

 

She heard him growl his approval and the fingers of one of his hands snaked around her body to find her clit and she screamed his name again.

 

"That's it, Sugar," he praised. "Scream my name while you cum for me!"

 

" _GABRIEL!!!!"_ Fireworks exploded through her system as the coil in her stomach snapped and her orgasm rushed in on her like a tidal wave. Her vision blurred momentarily, the edges inking out just a bit.

 

Gabriel continued pounding into her, reveling in the clench of her velvet walls as she screamed his name. A few more hard thrusts and his cock tightened and then he filled her with the hot white evidence of his own release, crying out with her name as he shot rope after rope of his seed deep inside her until he had to slump over her to catch his breath with his forehead resting between her shoulders.

 

They stayed in their position, taking a moment to bask in the afterglow while their breathing returned to normal. Logical thinking slowly started to return to Gabriel's mind and the thought of what he had forgotten slammed into him.

 

"Shit!" he exclaimed as he raised off of her and pulled out.

 

She quickly spun around, thoughts racing through her head as she met his frantic eyes. Did he really regret what they had just done? Her heart clenched at the thought.

 

"I'm sorry," he said quickly. "I...forgot I needed to use a condom." His hands went to either side of his head. "Tell me what to do to fix this!"

 

Relief flooded through her as she laughed and moved to pull up her pants. "Gabe it's OK. I have an IUD."

 

"You have a _what_?!" he frantically questioned as he pulled his own pants up and tucked himself away.

 

She fought back her laughter, knowing this was the first time he had had to worry about something like this. "I'm on birth control."

 

He released a breath as his body visibly relaxed. "Oh!"

 

She smiled warmly at him as she crossed over to him and placed her hands on his chest, leaning in to kiss his lips. "I'm going to go get cleaned up and change." She told him then moved to grab her bag by the door and disappeared into the bathroom.

 

He stared at the bathroom door with an elated grin on his face for a moment before he made the decision to join her. However, before he could even move, the Winchesters walked back into the room. His smile quickly faded to an annoyed frown as he turned his head to face them.

 

"Back already?" he said flatly.

 

" _Already?!_ " Dean exclaimed. "Dude, we've been gone for over half a hour!"

 

* * *

 

 

After changing clothes and eating the food the Winchesters had brought back with them, Zora had taken the ice bucket from the room and was now walking down an outside corridor of their motel looking for the ice machine. Her senses tingled, making her stop in her tracks, and her eyes darted around the seemingly deserted corridor. Footsteps from behind her suddenly filled her ears and she dropped the ice bucket and grabbed the gun in the back waistband of her jeans that Gabriel had insisted she take with her. She spun around with her gun aimed and then instantly lowered her weapon when she saw the familiar face.

 

"Dammit, Adonis!" she grumbled as she replaced her gun. "You scared the hell outta me."

 

"Sorry," he said as he casually leaned against the wall. "just got back and wanted to check on you. I had to wait until you stepped away from the Winchesters and Gabriel before I could find you, though. Did they not realize you didn't take a hex bag with you?"

 

"It's in my other jeans. I forgot to change it over."

 

"You need to be more careful with that. How did it go with the wolves?"

 

Zora blew a puff of air between her lips and launched into the explanation of what had happened that day, subconsciously leaving out the parts about Gabriel’s stay in the hospital and what had happened with his grace at the site.

 

Adonis regarded her carefully for a moment. "You risked your life for them?"

 

"I didn't have a choice!" She watched him nod and suddenly Jonah's words invaded her mind. She had pushed them away because of more important matters, but now as she was rehashing the day, questions filled her mind. "Adonis...can I ask you something?"

 

"Zora, you know you can."

 

"And you'll be completely honest with me?"

 

"Of course," Adonis replied, his brow raising in speculation.

 

Zora pursed her lips as she chose her words wisely. "I used the scent masking tonic that hoodoo woman gave us for helping her out last year before we went in and...when it was just me and one of the werewolves was about to attack me, he...he asked me what I was and told me that the tonic covered my human side but amplified the side of me that... _wasn't_ . Adonis...I _am_ human...right?"

 

"What?!" he replied a little too quickly. "Why would you even take the word of a demented werewolf seriously, Zora? It's absurd!"

 

Despite his denial, Zora didn't miss the way he avoided her eyes, how his movements had become ridgid, and how quickly he changed the subject when he spoke next.

 

"I should get out of here before the Winchesters or Gabriel come looking for you." He turned to walk away, but stopped at the last minute and faced her again. "Dammit, I almost forgot. My mission was a bust, but Eligos wanted me to ask if Gabriel showed any signs of sensing his grace?"

 

There it was. The question she had been dreading, and it left a pit in her stomach when she thought about answering it. If she told him yes, Eligos wouldn't waste any time descending on the tiny motel room, killing Sam and Dean and taking Gabriel hostage to force him, by any means possible, to show him where his grace was. Gabriel would be thrown back into a life of torture until he finally told the Duke what he wanted to know. But it would all finally be over and maybe Eligos would be too distracted to keep track of her.

 

On the other hand, Sam had claimed her as part of their family and Dean hadn't argued. Then there was what she had just shared with Gabriel and the bond that they had forged between them since they had met. It she lied and told Adonis no, she would be aligning herself with them. But, would they still want her around when they found out why she had come to them in the first place? And would she survive Eligos' wrath when he found out about her dishonesty?

 

One simple word could possibly change her entire life forever. Was she ready for that? The war inside her mind raged on as she quickly weighed the pros and cons. Golden amber eyes suddenly filled her mind, and Gabriel shouting that he couldn't handle losing her filled her ears.

 

"No," she told Adonis. "He didn't feel anything."

 

She couldn't handle losing him either.


	6. The Power Within

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Smut. More abuse from Eligos.

_**Chapter 6: The Power Within** _

 

 

  
Castiel had poured through every file and piece of evidence for the case of the missing girl taken by a man in a white suit whose eyes turned yellow that the LaSalle Police Department had. Which wasn't much. With no name for either the mother or the girl and an attempt at dental records that had somehow failed, he didn't have a whole lot to go on. Even the examination of the wreckage was useless, considering it had been done by people who didn't know to look for a non logical explanation. So, the reason for the fire had been filed as "unknown."

 

With so very little information on the case, he had finally decided to bring in reinforcements. Now he waited inside of his Lincoln Continental on the shoulder of a paved road that, twenty-three years ago, was a dirt road enclosed with dense trees on either side. When a set of headlights appeared in his rearview mirror he sat up a little straighter in his seat, and when they pulled in to park behind him he exited his vehicle and made his way around to greet his visitor.

 

"Hello, Rowena," he said when they were standing in between their two cars. "Thank you for coming."

 

"Hello, Castiel," Rowena greeted with a smile. "You're welcome. So, Gabriel is alive and... _ human _ . That's quite an interesting turn of events. How is he handling it?"

 

"Surprisingly well. Though, I think Zora helped with that."

 

"The girl the Winchesters took in that has demons after her as well?"

 

"Yes."

 

"Hmm," Rowena mused. "Are you sure  _ she _ has nothing to do with any of this? It seems highly coincidental to me that she happens to show up the way she did,  _ when _ she did "

 

"I thought so at first myself, but she seems to genuinely care for Gabriel. He ended up in the hospital on the way to a hunt two days ago. He's fine, but Dean said Zora was beside herself with worry."

 

"I see," Rowena responded still not sounding convinced. "Then I guess we proceed here. But, I must admit, I'm not sure exactly how much help I'm going to be. Twenty-three years is a long time, and the site has changed a lot since the original incident."

 

"If anyone can do it, it's you," Castiel said confidently.

 

"True," Rowena said with a smug grin as she crossed her arms over her chest and walked to the middle of the road. "It happened right here?"

 

"From the information I was able to gather, I believe so."

 

"That's not very promising."

 

"I'm aware," Castiel grumbled.

 

"Do you have something connected to the two demons you think had a hand in this?" Rowena asked as she turned in a slow circle while studying the ground.

 

"Will Gabriel's jacket work?"

 

"It should suffice."

 

Castiel nodded and hastily made his way to retrieve the leather jacket Gabriel had left in his car from when he picked him up in Fort Collins. He handed the jacket to Rowena and took a few steps back to allow the witch to work her magic. He watched as she held the jacket between her two hands and began chanting.

 

"Ostende mihi faciem tuam absconsa."

 

The witch didn't move a muscle for a few slow passing moments, however when she finally opened her eyes they were glowing brightly with a vibrant purple hue. When the light faded she took in a ragged breath and brought her focus to Castiel. The angel gazed at her with apprehension in his eyes.

 

"Rowena?" he questioned cautiously.

 

"It's just as you feared. Eligos wasn't the only demon here twenty-three years ago."

 

Castiel sighed deeply as he averted his eyes from her. "Was it..?" He just couldn't bring himself to say the name. He knew the ramifications that would come from his hunch being right.

 

"Yes, Asmodeus had a hand in what happened to that poor little girl," Rowena confirmed.

 

With all the demonic energy surrounding the spot where the angel and the witch stood, neither had noticed Adonis watching them from just behind the remaining tree line. He cursed under his breath before he vanished into the warm night air.

 

* * *

 

 

They stopped off to sleep in Wyoming right before crossing the state line into Nebraska on their two day trip back to the bunker, during which Gabriel and Zora snuck off to find an unlocked custodial room so the former Archangel could rock the woman’s world once again up against a wall. Gabriel had noticed that she had seemed distracted since they had left Oregon, and despite his multiple attempts to get her to talk about it, she insisted that she was fine and it was just the adrenaline rush from the hunt wearing off. Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was weighing heavily on her mind. 

 

Gabriel's concern for her had just cemented for Zora that she had made the right decision in lying to Adonis. However, she couldn't get the consequences if her fabrication was uncovered out of her head. The Duke would make her pay dearly for her disloyalty to him, and she wasn't entirely sure she would survive his wrath if that happened. More than anything, she wanted to be honest with Gabriel and the Winchesters about her connection with Eligos and what he had forced her to do to them. Would they believe her if she told them she truly just wanted to help them? Or would they cast her out and deal with her the same way they would deal with the Duke?

 

She knew eventually they would figure everything out, but at the moment she was of more use to them by being able to continue giving Eligos the wrong information. Them keeping her around and trusting her was imperative to that.  

 

"Finally," Gabriel grumbled as he navigated Zora's car into the bunker's garage behind Dean. "I can't wait to get out of this car."

 

"Yeah, I feel like we've been driving for a week," Zora agreed.

 

Gabriel nodded in agreement as he pulled in to a space next to the Impala and shut off the engine. Sam and Dean exited their vehicle at the same time as Zora and Gabriel, all of them stretching as they unfolded from their seats. 

 

"I'm starving!" Dean exclaimed as he shut his car door.

 

"You're always hungry," Gabriel replied with a smirk as he leaned his back against the driver's side door of Zora's car.

 

Dean scowled at the former Archangel but the ringing of the phone in his pocket stopped any comeback he had. Seeing the name "Cas" across the screen, he immediately accepted the call and held the phone to his ear. "Hey, Cas, where the hell are you man?"

 

Zora came to stand next to Gabriel, and Sam turned to rest his arms on top of the Impala while the three of them listened to Dean's side of the conversation.

 

"Colorado?!" Dean exclaimed, and then paused while Castiel spoke. "You think this girl is even still alive?" Another pause while the angel explained. "Yeah, I mean, if there is a possibility she's connected to Eligos in someway then we have to check it out." Zora felt anxiety grip her at the mention of someone with a connection to the Duke. Dean was quiet for a moment more before he continued. "Send us the photo and we'll check it out...OK...see you soon." Dean disconnected the call and stuck the phone back into his pocket before he addressed the others. "Looks like Cas has found a possible connection with Eligos and a missing girl in LaSalle, Colorado."

 

"Wait...did you say LaSalle?" Gabriel questioned.

 

"Yeah, what about it?"

 

"That's not even a hour from where I popped out of the Empty at. There is no way that's a coincidence. How long has the girl been missing?"

 

"Twenty-three years."

 

"Oh," Gabriel replied, feeling a little defeated.

 

"That's a long time, Dean," Sam interjected. "How do we know she's even still alive?"

 

"Do we have a name?" Zora asked, holding back the tremble in her voice.

 

"Um...no," Dean said.

 

Zora tried to hide her relief as the other two's faces fell.

 

"So we have a  _ photo _ of a girl that went missing  _ twenty _ - _ three _ years ago, and we don't even know her name?" Gabriel summarized.

 

"Technically we don't have the picture just yet. Cas still has to go back to the police department and get it," Dean admitted.

 

"Wonderful," Gabriel said sarcastically.

 

"Alright," Sam said as he pulled himself off of the car and headed toward the door leading into the rest of the bunker. "I'll go get the laptops fired up."

 

"I'll help," Dean offered, and he and his brother were gone to get ready to search for the missing girl.

 

Zora stared after the brothers. Could the girl Castiel was talking about be her? And if it was, would they figure it out? How was she going to explain herself if it was? She racked her brain trying to come up with different solutions to keep them all from hating her, but she couldn't help but feel her time with the Winchesters, with Gabriel, was more limited than she originally thought.

 

"You alright, Sugar?" Gabriel asked, breaking into her thoughts.

 

She turned to him with a smile painted on her face. She was going to have to take some major steps to keep her secrets safe, but for now she was going to take advantage of the time she still had. Her smile turned impish as she moved to stand in front of Gabriel, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her body into his. She fought down the fluttering of her heart when his hands automatically found their place around her waist.

 

"You wanna know a little fantasy I've always had?" she asked seductively.

 

"Oh, Sweetheart," Gabriel replied, his fingers dipping under her shirt to caress the soft skin on her back. "I want to know every single one of your fantasies."

 

Zora giggled and pressed her lips to his in a chaste kiss. "That could take some time."

 

"I'm good with that," he said, dipping his head to bring his lips to her neck.

 

"Mmm." She tilted her head to one side to allow him easier access to her skin. "Then let's start with you fucking me on the hood of my car."

 

* * *

 

 

Adonis appeared in the property room of the LaSalle Police department. After he had left Zora in Oregon he had reported to Eligos, who had informed him that one of his henchmen had spotted Castiel poking around in the small town. The Duke had then sent him to find out what the angel knew. Adonis' stomach had churned when he realized how close Castiel had come to finding out what had really happened that fateful day, events that only himself, Eligos, and the late Asmodeus knew.

 

Adonis sighed as he pulled the lid off of the cardboard box that held all the files and information on the case Castiel was following. With a trembling hand he reached in and pulled out the lone picture of the missing little girl from the container. The small blonde girl with crystal blue eyes was sitting on a hospital bed with a look of complete terror on her face. He ran a finger over her face before her ripped the picture into two pieces. Crumpling the paper in his hands, it sparked and caught on fire, burning quickly until nothing but ash fell to the ground.

 

"I'm sorry, Zora," he whispered. "It's just not safe for you to know the truth."

 

With a wave of his hand, he and the box he had pulled the picture from vanished.

  
  


* * *

 

  
Sam's stomach growled as he sat down at the kitchen table with a plate holding the sandwich he had just made himself. With all the files from the case Castiel was looking into somehow being  _ misplaced _ at the police department, the four occupants of the bunker had gone about trying to piece together the information by what they could find on the internet. Meanwhile, Castiel and, much to the Winchester's surprise, Rowena, had gone to talk to the locals who lived in the town at the time of the incident. Unfortunately it had all turned up being a big steaming pile of nothing, and with Castiel still being vague on some of the details, there wasn't a whole lot the four at the bunker could do.

 

Sam tried to push the thoughts from his mind, and just as he lifted his sandwich to take a bite, Dean's loud and angry voice came booming from somewhere in the bunker.

 

"DAMMIT GUYS! YOU  _ BOTH _ HAVE BEDROOMS!"

 

Sam rolled his eyes when he heard a door slam and finally took a bite of his food. Not long after, Dean came stalking into the kitchen, agitation and pure anger twisting his features as he slammed a laundry basket full of his dirty clothes onto the kitchen table.

 

"You know what I just walked in on?!" He shouted.

 

Sam swallowed as he looked from the basket to his brother. "I'm guessing is wasn't Gabe and Zora doing laundry?"

 

"Oh they were doing something alright, but it definitely wasn't laundry! All I saw was Gabriel's white ass before I got the hell out of there." Dean shuddered as he recalled the incident. "They need to reign in their hormones and stop acting like a couple of horny teenagers! It's like they are actively making the choice to  _ not _ screw in their rooms!"

 

"Calm down, Dean," Sam said. "It's just the first time you've walked in on them."

 

"But I've  _ heard _ plenty! And they were doing it in the laundry room! The  _ laundry room _ , Sam!"

 

"Was the door closed?"

 

"What?!"

 

"Was the door closed?"

 

"What the...yes, Sam! The door was closed. What the hell does that matter?!"

 

"Well, that particular door is normally kept open," Sam replied matter of factly. "If it was closed, maybe you should have knocked. And  _ maybe _ you should cut them some slack. It's not like they are running off while we are all working. They wait until we take a break. Besides, it's been three days since we've heard from Cas and Rowena. There isn't a whole lot left for us to do."

 

Dean stared at his brother, eyes wide with shock, his mouth hanging slightly agape. " Why are you so scarily cool with them humping around the bunker like rabbits?!"

 

Sam set his sandwich back on his plate as he exhaled in regret; he really just wanted to eat, not open his brother's blind eyes. "Come on, I'll show you why."

 

Sam stood and walked from the kitchen with his disgruntled brother following reluctantly behind him. He led him through the hallways and to a corner just hidden from the view of the still closed laundry room door.

 

"Why are we here, Sam?" Dean demanded. "I don't want to hear them going at it."

 

"Just watch the door," Sam replied impatiently.

 

Dean grumbled as he fixed his eyes where he was instructed. A few seconds later, the door swung open and Gabriel and Zora, now fully clothed again, exited with his arms wrapped around her waist from behind, kissing her neck while she giggled joyously. Dean watched as the former Archangel spun her in his arms and gently guided her against the wall. The elder Winchester saw the elated smiles on both of their faces before Gabriel captured her lips with his. For the moment, they were both completely lost in their own little happy world with each other, and Dean suddenly realized why his brother had chosen to let their activities go.

 

A tap on his shoulder pulled the elder Winchester from the sight he was gazing on and he turned to see his brother motioning for him to follow him in the opposite direction of the couple.

 

"They are both dealing with a lot right now, Dean," Sam started to explain when he was sure they were out of earshot. "Who are we to stop them if they have found a momentary reprieve from all the bullshit we are dealing with in each other? Let them be as happy as they can for now. You know as well as I do that good things don't really have a long shelf life around here."

 

Dean did know. He knew all too well how quickly everything could go to hell. It was only a matter of time before the other shoe dropped.

 

So, for now, he would learn to knock.

 

* * *

 

 

Rowena and Castiel stood in the lobby of an upscale nursing home in Seibert, Colorado. After questioning nearly everyone in the tiny town of La Salle, they had finally heard the name of a woman that the retired sheriff recalled asking about the incident almost five years after it happened. With no other option, the angel and the witch took the two and a half hour drive to where her name popped up on the confidential resident list of the nursing home. Now they waited, trying to feign patience as the receptionist behind the front desk tapped away at her computer.

 

"Ah! Here she is agents!" the brunette woman finally exclaimed. "Kay Wilhoit, room 435. Though, I don't think she's going to be much help to you."

 

"Why do you say that?" Castiel asked.

 

The woman's eyes flicked back to her screen. "It says here she has a severe case of dementia. Hasn't spoken a word since she was admitted back in 2001."

 

"Does she have any regular visitors?" Rowena asked.

 

"No, the only outside connection she appears to have is a monthly direct deposit that pays for her stay and care here."

 

"Who pays that?" Castiel asked.

 

"The only thing listed here is the initial ‘A’, and I don't have access to any bank account information."

 

Castiel and Rowena shared an agitated look before they turned their eyes back to the receptionist. "We would still like to see her," Castiel said.

 

The young woman nodded. "Of course agents. Take the elevator to the fourth floor, turn left, and it's the last door on the right. I'll alert the floor's security that your coming."

 

A few minutes later, the witch and the angel were entering room 435. The room was decorated with soft cream colors with blank walls. A single twin size bed sat in the middle of the room with a small dresser located to the left. If it wasn't for the frail little old woman with snow white hair and crystal blue eyes sitting in a rocking chair and staring out the only window in the room, both of them would have sworn the room was vacant.

 

"Ms. Wilhoit?" Castiel called as he cautiously crossed the room and knelt beside Kay's chair. When she didn't move, he continued. "Ma'am, I'm here to ask you a few questions about a missing person. Can you understand me?"

 

"I don't think she even hears you, Castiel," Rowena said quietly.

 

Castiel sighed, not taking his eyes from the old woman. "Plan B then." He reached up and gently placed two fingers to her temple, ready to attempt to let his grace find the answers he hoped were in Kay's mind.

 

However he wasn’t expecting what felt like a kick to his stomach, which propelled him across the room and into the small dresser. Rowena rushed over to sit her knees beside him as he pushed himself to a sitting position with a groan.

 

"What happened?!" Rowena exclaimed.

 

"That woman doesn't have dementia! There is demonic energy keeping her mind in a frozen state."

 

"So she's possessed?"

 

"No, it's more like a spell."

 

"Well," Rowena said as she helped Castiel to his feet. "If it's a spell, then it can be broken. I will need a few things before I can begin, however."

 

"I'll get you whatever you-" Castiel started as his eyes landed on a frameless photograph now lying on the ground. He bent to pick it up and handed it to Rowena. "It must have fallen off of the dresser when I crashed into it."

 

The picture was of what appeared to be a much younger version of Kay sitting on a park bench, but it was the smiling little girl sitting on her lap that had caught the angel's attention. He knew that little girl. He had seen a picture of her sitting on a hospital bed in a room at the hospital located in La Salle with a terrified look on her face.

 

"Looks like we are definitely in the right place," Castiel said.

 

"Look at this," Rowena said as she pointed to the younger Kay's ankle in the photo. "Is that what I think it is?"

 

The angel's eyes went wide at the tattoo on the woman's ankle. "It's an anti possession symbol," he breathed, and then turned to Kay in astonishment. "She was a hunter!"

 

* * *

 

 

Aside from the times when she was tangled up somewhere with Gabriel and him making her feel like they were the only two people in the world, the easiest times for her to forget, or at least push it far into the back corner or her mind, about the looming ominous storm cloud above her head, was when Zora, the Winchesters, and Gabriel acted like a normal family doing the most ordinary things. With them all in a metaphorical limbo until they heard from or hunted down Castiel, those moments had started to happen more often. 

 

The last time they had heard from the angel was the day they had returned from their werewolf hunt, and that was just to tell them the case files had mysteriously vanished a week earlier. None of them were dumb; they knew demonic forces had been the culprit. Zora, especially, knew that those files were long gone, and if she had to put her money on it she was sure Adonis had been the one to hinder Castiel's semi-secret mission. She had caught herself staring at her phone debating on making the demon confess to her more times than she could count, but she was afraid of the answer to why he did it.

 

The Winchesters and Gabriel had an increasing annoyance over the angel's vagueness about what he was doing, and when he had stopped answering calls and just sending a text that he would "call back soon", their irritation reached full-blown fury. However they soon realized their anger wasn't doing anything. Dean had been ready to jump into the Impala and drive to LaSalle. The trip had been halted when Sam received a text from Rowena saying they were leaving the town and not another word as to why or where they were going. 

 

That was when their weird state of limbo started and they had to find other ways to fill their time. Between the four of them they had pulled every piece of information on Eligos and Adonis that was in the bunker, none of which was helpful. The Winchesters couldn't even find a summoning spell for either demon, which had sent a wave of guilt over Zora so strong she found herself sick in the bathroom not long after trying to figure out how she could reinsert the summoning spells she had discreetly pulled from a few books when she had first arrived at the bunker.

 

Shortly thereafter was when those normal little moments started to happen. Zora had watched the Winchesters and Gabriel play poker in the library and laughed at the appalled look on Dean's face when it was revealed she didn't know how to play. With a "Every hunter should know how to play poker!", he had taken it upon himself to teach her the game. When the night ended with her having all the chips in her pot, the proud and brotherly smile on the elder Winchester's face lit up the room. 

 

The four of them had piled up in the den (that Dean affectionately called his 'Dean Cave', which had earned eye rolls from his brother and the former Archangel) to watch a movie with the Winchesters reclined in lounge chairs and Zora and Gabriel cuddled close together on the small lumpy loveseat Dean had acquired from somewhere. 

 

Meals had also become a joint effort. While Dean and Zora did the majority of the actual cooking, Sam and Gabriel insisted on helping where they could, and after a meal or two that resulted in take out, they had fallen into an effortless rhythm. This particular morning found Dean at the stove cooking way more bacon than any of them could consume in a single sitting, Sam cracking eggs into a bowl and preparing to turn them into scrambled eggs, Gabriel cutting potatoes for fried potatoes that Zora insisted on making because she knew he loved them, and Zora mixing chocolate chip pancake batter that she had subconsciously chosen to make because, once again, she knew they were a favorite of the former Archangel's.

 

Finished stirring her batter, Zora knocked the excess liquid off of her whisk into the bowl and then tossed the utensil into the sink. As she turned to move her bowl over to the stove to start making the pancakes, the coffee maker made the telltale gurgle that it was done brewing their liquid caffeine. "How do you want your coffee Sam, Dean?" she asked.

 

"What? I don't get asked how I want mine?" Gabriel teased.

 

"I already know how you want yours, Gabe," she replied, running her fingers through the curls at the base of his hairline and lingering just a few seconds on the skin of his neck as she walked by him on her way to the coffee pot.

 

"Is that so?" Gabriel asked, grinning at her affectionate touch.

 

"Yes, eight teaspoons of sugar, five chocolate caramel creamers, and the secret ingredient I put in that you will never know," she told him confidently with a wink.

 

He simply smiled at her as he watched her turn her back to him so she could go about making the group's coffee. Neither of the two noticed Sam watching their exchange with a wide grin of his own.

 

"Really, Zora!" Dean said as he turned from the stove. "You can remember that concoction but you can't remember that Sam and I take ours black? It's literally just pouring it into a cup."

 

"Obviously he's my favorite," Zora quipped not turning around.

 

"Ouch!" Dean exclaimed, grabbing his chest in mock pain. "That hurts Zora!"

 

She laughed as she walked over to him and handed him a mug of black coffee. "Does it take the sting away if I give you your coffee first?"

 

"A little bit," he said as he accepted the drink and took a sip.

 

"Good," she told him, and brought Gabriel's coffee to him.

 

After breakfast Dean and Gabriel had gone to take the trash off, while Zora and Sam cleaned up the kitchen. They helped to pass the mundane task with laughter and conversation.

 

"You and Gabe seem to be doing well," Sam observed as he wiped down the island counter.

 

Zora closed the cabinet she had just placed clean plates in and turned to him with a raised brow. "Um...yeah...I guess you could say we are. Where did that come from?"

 

"Just a simple observation."

 

"Bullshit, Winchester!" Zora said, placing her hands on her hips. "What do you really want to say?"

 

Sam chuckled as he brought his eyes up to meet hers. "Nothing! I'm just happy for you guys. It's really obvious how you two feel about each other and it's really sweet."

 

"What's obvious?"

 

Another laugh sprung from the younger Winchester as he looked at her is disbelief. "Seriously? You two are almost always together, cuddling together on the couch, the little subtle touches you  _ both _ give each other, the way you look at each other,  _ half  _ our breakfast being things you  _ know _ he likes, adding a  _ secret ingredient _ to his coffee that you don't have to ask how he likes made, and not to mention all the times you two sneak off for some  _ alone time _ . Do you really not see what I mean?"

 

She worked her mouth, trying to formulate a response that refused to come to her. She knew she was doing all those things, but, until Sam had brought it up, she hadn't thought of why. Nor had she noticed that he, and more than likely Dean, were seeing them as well. She had no clue how to properly handle this conversation, so she went with the only lame idea she could come up with...straight up denial.

 

"No...no...it's not…" she stumbled over her words. "Sam, it just isn't like that."

 

"So, you're saying it's just sex?" Sam shot back.

 

"Well...no...it's more than that." 

 

Sam's brow raised again. "So what exactly is it then?"

 

Zora sighed as she leaned against the counter, her eyes studying the floor. "I don't know. I really wasn't expecting this to happen with him."

 

Sam pursed his lips as he chose his next words. "I've known Gabe for a long time, and I've seen many sides of him. I've seen him as the cocky trickster, the even cockier Archangel. I've seen him attempting to recover from something that he never should have had to endure, and I've seen him step up and fight. But, you know what my favorite has been so far?"

 

Her eyes flicked up to him.

 

"Seeing him happy," Sam continued. "When we first found out about him being back and losing his grace, I expected him to be in worse shape than when it was low. I really didn't think he would handle being human as well as he has, but then you came along. I'm pretty sure the first genuine smile I've ever seen from him was when he was with you. I know we have a whole shit storm hanging over our heads right now, but I really think you two are building something here. Sometimes he looks at you like you hung the stars, which is really saying something considering his dad actually did that."

 

Zora felt tears sting at the corners of her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself. "I don't deserve for him to look at me like that," she whispered, averting her gaze from the Winchester.

 

Sam's expression turned to one of concern. "Zora-"

 

"I'm not a good person, Sam!" she snapped, cutting her eyes back to him. "I've fucked so much up." Her hands went into her hair as she started to pace back and forth in front of the counter. "There's so much I want to tell him, tell all of you. Have you ever messed up so bad that deep down you  _ know _ that you don't deserve forgiveness? I've...I just feel like…" She paused to swallow the sob in her throat. "I've felt more at home in this bunker with all of you than I've  _ ever _ felt anywhere. The thought of going back to my old life-"

 

"Zora, calm down!" Sam urged as soothingly as he could. At some point during her tangent he had made his way over to her and was now wrapping her up into a tight hug, trying his best to put back the fraying pieces he could see falling from her. Her sobs finally broke free, her arms winding around his torso as his hand rubbed comfortingly up and down her back. "Just breathe. Everything is OK." He spoke words of comfort until her sobs turned into small sniffles. "For the record, I do know what it's like to make so many wrong decisions that it feels like you don't deserve forgiveness. But you know what? The people that love me, my family, they forgave me anyway. Whatever it is that you think you've done so wrong, maybe we can help you through it. You just gotta talk to us, Zora."

 

She truly believed the words he told her. Could feel that, while the details were different, he knew exactly what she was feeling. Maybe if she just confessed right here, right now, they would see that she really did want to help them, that she would rather die than help Eligos. She pulled back enough to look up into his hazel eyes full of concern and understanding. However, before she could launch into her confession, Dean's voice rang out through the bunker.

 

"Sam! Zora! War Room! Cas is on the phone!"

 

"We better get in there," Zora said quitely as she pulled away from Sam.

 

"Zora-" he started, taking her hand into his.

 

"We'll talk later," she said, reigning in her emotions. "We have more pressing matters to deal with right now."

 

He nodded as he released her and let her lead the way to the war room where Dean and Gabriel were already standing around the map table with the elder Winchester's phone in the middle.

 

"Alright, Cas," Dean said as they entered the room, Sam moving to stand next to his brother and Zora beside Gabriel. "We're all here. What's up?"

 

"Sam, I've sent you a photo. I need you to load it up now, please," Castiel said through the speaker of Dean's phone.

 

Sam quickly moved to the head of the table where his laptop sat and fired it up. As soon as he could he clicked on to his email to open the picture the angel had sent him and turned the computer around so everyone could see it.

 

Zora's breath instantly caught in her throat. She knew the little girl sitting in the woman's lap.

 

It was her. 

 

The woman, as well as the picture itself, she couldn't remember ever seeing nor taking the photo. Who was this woman clinging to her so happily and why couldn't she remember her? What was Eligos not telling her? Was anything she knew about herself true? So many questions crashed into her mind building on top of one another and threatening to crush her under their weight.

 

"Cas, who is this woman?" Gabriel questioned.

 

"Her name is Kay Wilhoit," Castiel replied. "She is currently residing in a nursing home in Seibert, Colorado. They  _ think _ she has a severe case of dementia."

 

"They  _ think _ ?" Sam asked.

 

"I tried to read her mind and I was kicked out by some demonic spell," Castiel answered. "The girl sitting in her lap is the missing girl I told you about. I'm more sure than ever that they both have some kind of connection to Eligos."

 

"Cas," Dean started. "I think it's time you tell us everything you've found out. We can't keep going on bits and pieces of information."

 

"I plan on telling you all everything. Rowena is positive she can break the spell on Kay's mind, but she needs a few ingredients that we have at the bunker. I'll be leaving soon and headed to you. Until then, I need you to find out everything you can about this Kay Wilhoit. She has an anonymous donor that goes by the initial 'A' paying for her care at the nursing home she's at. Hacking their files may be the best place to start."

 

"Cas, just tell us everything now!" Dean insisted.

 

"I don't have time for that right now, Dean!" Castiel fired back, his tone holding a sharp edge. "I will tell you everything when I see you!"

 

The next thing they heard was the beep indicating that Castiel had disconnected the call.

 

"Son of a bitch!" Dean grumbled as he grabbed his phone and shoved it into his pocket. "I guess we get to work."

 

"I'm going to call my uncle," Zora announced, suddenly making a decision in her mind. Adonis knew something and she was going to find out what. "He may be able to help with this."

 

"I thought he was in Nepal?" Gabriel asked, turning to her. He didn't miss the manic look in her eyes and worry filled his features.

 

"He got back shortly after we finished in Oregon," she said quickly, and then excused herself to find a private place to make a phone call.

 

It was time for some answers.

 

* * *

 

 

Dean cursed under his breath when his fifth background search on the name Castiel had given them turned up bupkis. He stared at the laptop screen scowling at the useless information in front of him. "I'm getting a fat lotta nothing over here."

 

"Yeah," Gabriel agreed, sitting across the table in the war room from Dean behind his own computer. "All I'm getting is people that are obviously not the same Kay Wilhoit in that nursing home. Are we sure that's even her real name?"

 

"No, we aren't," Sam said, still at his spot at the head of the map table. His eyes were glued to his screen as he tried to figure out how to get through the backdoor of the nursing home's computers. "And it looks like it's going to take a few hours to dig through all this security and the firewalls. This place uses more encryption than a damn bank."

 

"So, we’re in limbo again," Dean grumbled as he sat back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. "Awesome!" Sarcasm dripped heavily from his tone, and his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes drifted up to the former Archangel who was mirroring his position, staring at the screen in front of him with a furrowed brow. A sly smile suddenly crossed Dean's lips as he remembered the conversation he had with Gabriel in the Impala on their way to take the trash off.

 

_ Dean laughed good naturedly as he steered the Impala down the road. _

 

_ "It's not funny, Dean!" Gabriel snapped. "I'm serious about this!" _

 

_ "I know you are, Gabe," the elder Winchester replied, stifling the rest of his laughter. "That's not why I'm laughing." _

 

_ "Then why are you?!" Gabriel demanded defensively. _

 

_ "Because, I never thought I would see  _ **_you_ ** _ stressing over something like this. Gabe, if I didn't know any better I would say you're  _ **_nervous_ ** _." _

 

_ "I guess I kinda am," Gabriel admitted, trepidation coloring his tone. "I've never actually done this part before." _

 

_ "Seriously?" _

 

_ Gabriel shrugged off Dean's shocked tone. "No one has ever meant this much to me. I just don't wanna screw it up." _

 

_ "For what it's worth, I think you have a pretty solid plan. I have no problem with getting Sam out of the bunker for a few hours tonight." _

 

_ "Thanks, Dean." _

 

_ Dean could almost see the relief washing over the former Archangel. Whether it was for his agreement to vacate the bunker that evening or the validation that Gabriel's idea was a good one, he wasn't sure. _

 

_ "We should probably stop in town to pick up a few things though," Dean added. "I don't think we have everything you are gonna need." _

 

Gabriel felt the elder Winchester's eyes on him and he lifted his own to meet his gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

 

Dean broke from his memory with a shake of his head. "Just thinking that maybe you should take advantage of our waiting period and go take care of some things we talked about earlier."

 

Gabriel's eyebrows knitted together. "I hardly think this is the time, Dean. We kinda have a few things going on that we didn't earlier."

 

"Are you chickening out?"

 

"No! We have things to do!"

 

"Sam just said we have a few hours before we get any usable information, and there’s no telling when Cas will come rolling in. You can at least prime the situation."

 

"What the hell are you guys talking about?" Sam asked, looking up from his screen to glance between the two of them.

 

"Nothing!" Dean and Gabriel both said together.

 

"Whatever," Sam said as he rolled his eyes and went back to his task.

 

"Come on, Gabe. No time like the present," Dean encouraged.

 

Gabriel pushed himself away from the table, shooting Dean an exasperated glare as he stood. "I'm going to go check on Zora," he grumbled, and left the room with the elder Winchster watching him leave with a Cheshire cat grin on his face.

 

* * *

 

 

" _ Please leave your message for four zero-" _

 

Zora growled in frustration as Adonis' voicemail completed it's generic message for the tenth time. Why wasn't he answering her calls?! Where the hell was he?! When the beep indicating recording echoed in her ear, the message she left clearly showed her ire.

 

"Dammit, Adonis!" she hissed, fighting the urge to throw her phone against the cement wall of the den, "We need to talk! NOW!"

 

She disconnected the call and tossed her phone to the other side of the loveseat she was perched on. Huffing out her agitation, she let her body fall against the back of the couch. Adonis had never not answered her call before. What was going on now to change that? What did he know that she didn't? Her phone ringing nearly made her jump out of her skin, and she dove for it, landing on her stomach across the couch, when she saw the name "Don" flash across the screen.

 

"Adonis!" she yelped upon answering the call. "What the hell?!"

 

"I'm sorry, Zora," Adonis said from the other end of the line. "Eligos has me jumping all over the globe trying to find the Archangel's grace. It isn't going well."

 

"Who is Kay Wilhoit?!" Zora demand, ignoring his excuses.

 

The eerie quiet that fell on his side of the conversation sent a chill down her spine.

 

"How do you know that name?" he demanded quietly.

 

"That doesn't matter. Who is she?"

 

"Zora, I beg of you, let this go."

 

"You know I can't Adonis. I'm going to find out one way or another. Do you really want me finding somewhere other than you?"

 

Zora heard the demon sigh regretfully before he spoke again.

 

"Do you think you can slip out of that bunker to meet me?"

 

"Just tell me when and where," Zora said.

 

"Five o'clock. I'll text you the address."

 

Without another word Adonis ended the call and Zora was left lying there staring at her black screen. Now all she had to do was figure out how to get out of the bunker unchaperoned. She buried her face into the cushions and groaned as a feeling of dread washed over her, suddenly feeling like she was about to find out things she really didn't want to know. But, she needed to know, however. She just hoped that once she found out that she would still be able to return to the bunker.

 

The sound of the door to the room opening and closing had her propping herself up to find Gabriel gazing at her quizzically. She moved to sit on her knees as he came around to plop down next to her, lounging back with one arm rested across the back of the couch and the other on the armrest.

 

"Everything alright, Sugar?" he asked.

 

An overwhelming feeling suddenly came over her that this could be the last semi-normal moment they had together, if they had anymore time at all. The information she would find out from Adonis could very well send her onto another path, and Gabriel looked so good in his dark brown button down and dark blue jeans while he relaxed beside her. She wanted...needed to make sure she had him one more time.

 

Without answering his question, she crawled over to him to straddle his lap and pressed her lips to his. Her hands instantaneously started to undo the buttons of his shirt and his hands gripped tightly to her hips as he ground his up into her. Tongues sought entrance into the other's mouth and the world around them melted away. 

 

With the final button of his shirt undone, she pushed the material to the side and let her hands explore his chest and stomach, reveling in the small groans she pulled from him. Her lips broke from his and moved to his neck, kissing and nibbling on the sensitive skin, working her way to his ear.

 

"Zora!" he groaned as his head fell backwards onto the couch when she started palming his erection through the denim of his pants.

 

"I love how hard you get for me," she whispered, her lips barely brushing his ear. "I wanna ride your cock until we both cum."

 

"By all means, Sugar," he rasped.

 

A kittenish smile graced her lips as she slowly pulled off of him to stand in front of him. He quickly had his jeans pooling at his ankles, taking his hard cock in his hand and lightly stroking it as he watched her pop the button of her pants and pull down the zipper. She turned her back to him and bent slightly, jutting her ass toward him as she started to shimmy her jeans down. Gabriel's breathing increased as he saw her skin and black lace thong being revealed to him inch by agonizing inch, fighting the urge to grab her and just rip the clothes from her body. His shaft was throbbing in his hand by the time she dropped her pants and underwear onto the floor.

 

He watched every move she made as she moved back over his lap, her knees on either side of his thighs. Gently, she took his shaft from his grasp and lined it up with her dripping entrance. A load moan fell from his lips as the back of his head found the couch again. She was so wet, and so tight, her walls wrapping around him like a glove as she slowly lowered herself down to the base of his cock.

 

"Oh, Gabe!" she gasped as her core stretched to accommodate his almost overwhelming size.

 

He brought his head up to watch when she started to slowly roll her hips. His hands slipped under her shirt, seeking out the ample swell of her breast. The sight of her riding him, the speed of her movements increasing, the sounds she made as his cock hit every sweet spot inside of her and his fingers pulling down the fabric of her bra to tweak her nipples, and the  _ feel _ of her starting to clench around his member almost had him tumbling over the edge.

 

He knew how close she was when her head dropped back, his name tumbling from her lips as she braced herself with her hands on his shoulders. His hands dropped to her hips and he started to move her at a pace that had her gasping every time he slammed her down on his cock.

 

"OH FUCK! GABRIEL!" she screamed, stars exploding behind her eyes with the force of an orgasm that had her whole body shaking.

 

She pushed herself to keep moving with him, determined to make him cum as hard as she just did, and when she heard him shout her name and his hands clench on her hips, she knew he was. She continued rocking on him until he was jerking beneath her, and then collapsed on to his chest, her head tucked under his chin. Their arms wound around each other as they slowly let their breathing return to normal.

 

"You're amazing," he whispered, and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

 

"Mmm...not so bad yourself," she replied, snuggling into him.

 

Reluctantly, she pulled off of him and moved to put her clothes back on. Putting his own self back together, he sat back onto the couch and watched her redress with an almost dreamy look in his eye.

 

"What?" she asked when she caught his stare.

 

"You're beautiful," he said, reaching out to take her by the hand and guide her to sit across his lap.

 

"Gabe," she said, a twinge of pink covering her cheeks as one of her hands went to toy with the curls at the base of his hairline while the other rested on his chest.

 

"So, I was wondering," Gabriel started, trying to hide his sudden rush of nerves. "You wanna have dinner with me tonight?"

 

Zora raised a confused brow at him. "Gabe we have dinner together with Sam and Dean every night."

 

"No," he said, suddenly flustered. "I meant just the two of us."

 

"Wait." A smile replaced the confusion on her face as she realized what exactly he was asking her. "Gabriel, are you asking me to go on a date with you?"

 

"Um...yeah," he replied with nervous laughter. "I am."

 

"What about-"

 

"There is nothing on the internet about this woman, and Sam said it's going to take him hours to break into the nursing home's computers. So, until Cas gets back, we are at another standstill."

 

Zora felt the walls she had long ago built and fortified around her heart to protect herself start to chip away at the hopeful look in his golden eyes. "Then I would love to."

 

A bright smile encompassed his features and he pressed a quick kiss to her lips.

 

"So what did you have in mind?" she asked. Fighting the grin tugging at her lips was useless when she saw how his face lit up at her question.

 

"Oh, you just leave that to me. I already have plans set in motion. Not exactly what I had originally planned before Cas called, but, I still think you'll be happy."

 

The smile suddenly fell from her lips when she remembered what she was supposed to be doing at five o'clock, and she saw something along the lines of fear creep into his features.

 

"What's wrong?" he asked cautiously.

 

"I got a hold of my uncle. He wants me to meet him at five this afternoon."

 

Relief washed over him. "That's fine, we can just do it once we get back from that."

 

"Gabe." She knew what she was about to say wasn't going to sit well. "I really need to see him alone."

 

His body went stiff beneath her and his eyes darkened protectively. "You aren't going alone, Zora. The last time you went somewhere without one of us you came back...you're not going alone."

 

"Gabe, it's my uncle. I'm safe with him."

 

Gabriel sighed as he ran a hand down his face. "We need to talk this over with Sam and Dean."

 

Zora knew exactly what he was doing. The Winchesters would wholeheartedly agree with him, effectively making it a three against one fight. She had won that argument before, and everything was riding on her winning it again.

 

One way or another, she was going to see Adonis solo. She didn't have any other choice.

 

* * *

 

 

She hadn't won the argument.

 

At least not entirely.

 

As Zora had expected, as soon as she told the Winchesters what she wanted to do she had been met with a general consensus of "you're not going alone." No matter what excuse she threw up, one of the three had shot her down. She would be lying if she said that their concern for her well being and need to protect her didn't make her heart swell for them, however at the moment it was hindering her greatly.

 

About a hour into the back and forth, Zora realized that compromise may be her only choice.

 

That's how she ended up riding in the front passenger's seat of the Impala with Dean behind the wheel and Gabriel lounging in the backseat as the three of them headed to a hotel just outside of Lebanon. Once Zora had the address and room number, Sam had reluctantly been elected to stay at the bunker to continue hacking into the computer systems in search of the information they needed and wait on Castiel's return while the other three had agreed upon Dean and Gabriel taking her to the hotel to wait for her at a diner located across the street.

 

The drive had taken them just under a hour, and as Dean pulled the Impala into a parking space in front of the hotel Zora felt knots form in her stomach. She and Gabriel exited the vehicle at the same time, and she looked up at the hotel standing near her open door with anxiety rolling through her.

 

"You sure you don't want me to go with you, Sugar?" Gabriel asked as he shut his car door.

 

She turned toward him, painting a smile on her face to mask her emotion. "Gabe, it's just my uncle. I'm fine."

 

He studied her expression for a moment before he closed the short distance between them, placed his hands on her hips, and kissed her lips softly. It was the first time he had kissed her where everyone around them could see, and the tenderness in the action caused more of the walls around her heart to chip away. When he pulled away he pressed his forehead to hers.

 

"We will be right across the street," he reminded her. "One phone call and we're here. Hell, my phone even starts ringing and I'm already on my way."

 

She nodded as she reluctantly broke their embrace. "I shouldn't be long," she whispered, and turned to walk toward the front entrance of the hotel.

 

Gabriel watched her until she disappeared inside of the building before he got back in the Impala. Immediately he was met with an expectant stare from Dean.

 

"You haven't told her yet, have you?" Dean asked after Gabriel had shut the door.

 

"Shut up, Dean."

 

"That's a no," Dean said as he pulled out of his parking space.

 

"I'm telling her tonight."

 

Silence fell between them on the short drive across the street to the busy diner. Dean found a place to park his car and the two of them got out, heading to the trunk where they took a seat. All they could do now was wait, both of them fighting the instincts gnawing at their stomachs to go after her.

 

* * *

 

 

The door to the hotel room flew open before Zora even had a chance to knock and she was met with Adonis' frantic eyes that swept the hallway before he quickly ushered her inside. He shut and locked the door before he rounded on her.

 

"You let him kiss you?!" Adonis shouted.

 

"What?!" Zora stammered.

 

"I was watching for you out the window! I saw the whole thing!" Adonis grabbed her by the shoulders. "What are you thinking, Zora?!"

 

"Adonis...I"

 

"Tell me it's all an act! Tell me you don't have feelings for him! Zora, you have to know how incredibly stupid that would be! Eligos would kill you if you betrayed him!"

 

Thunder started to rumble outside as something inside of her snapped. She jerked away and narrowed her eyes at the demon. "That's not why I'm here! Tell me who she is!"

 

Adonis stilled as his eyes turned toward the window, another roll of thunder crashing in the distance, and his posture became remorseful. He dreaded this conversation, and he had argued with himself over lying to her or finally telling her the truth. He brought his eyes back to her. "We aren't done talking about the Archangel."

 

"You tell me what I want to know and we'll finish."

 

He sighed as he ran a hand through his hair and walked over to take a seat on the edge of the bed. He felt Zora's eyes on him the entire time. "Everything you know about how you came to be with us is a lie. All except your mother's name and you being taken from a hospital."

 

Zora felt the color drain from her face and an overwhelming need to throw up crashed into her. She wasn't sure how to respond. Questions assaulted her mind, each one fighting for its right to be voiced first. Was this the real reason why Castiel's investigation had been interfered with? To keep the truth from her?

 

Unfortunately, she wouldn't get those answers tonight. Adonis jumped up from the bed, that frantic look back in his eyes as they darted over every inch of the room. That's when she felt it: the unmistakable feeling of electricity in the air that signaled Eligos' arrival. Pure loathing for the Duke cascaded through her system as lightning lit up the sky through the window and thunder crashed overhead with a force that felt like it shook the foundation of the hotel they were in.

 

An invisible power collided with her stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her crashing into a wall across the room. Her body slid to the ground, but before she could recover, Eligos appeared in front of her. He instantly wrapped his hand around her throat and dragged her to her feet.

 

"YOU LIED!" he roared as he slammed Zora's body against the wall.

 

"Eligos! Stop!" Adonis pleaded as he ran toward the two.

 

The Duke turned black eyes to him as he held out his hand to send out a blast of energy that sent Adonis crashing through the bathroom door. "I'll deal with you in a minute!"

 

Zora clawed at the hand Eligos had around her throat as it squeezed and lifted her feet off the ground. Stars and pain exploded in her head when the demon Duke landed a hard punch to her face.

 

"You lied!" he growled again.

 

"Don't...know...talking...about," she choked out, the demon's hand almost crushing her windpipe.

 

Three more hammer like punches to her face sent her world spinning. She could taste her blood in her mouth as she tried to wrench out of his grip.

 

"DOES THE HOSPITAL IN OREGON RING A BELL?!" Eligos bellowed.

 

He knew. 

 

Somehow he knew. 

 

She knew he would attempt to beat the truth out of her, and normally when his assaults started she would crumble and give him whatever it was he wanted just to make it stop. Her survival instincts would kick in and she would do whatever he wanted.

 

But, this time was different.

 

It wasn't just her that she needed to protect, and she knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would die before she would give him anything.

 

"No!" she shouted through his hold as lightning streaked and thunder boomed. 

 

Eligos' other hand closed around her neck with his other and he slammed her against the wall. Her head bounced on the sheetrock with a sickening thud as it cracked the hard material.

 

"His nurse was one of mine," Eligos said, his voice suddenly holding an eerie calm. "I know he was there and I know just how very worried you were  _ Mrs. Wilks _ ." He snarled when she simply glared at him. "Do you honestly think he cares for you? I knew you were dumb, Zora, but I didn't think you were suicidally stupid!  _ None of them _ care about you! And even if they did, they would want to kill you when they found out you're mine." He pushed his face close to her ear as his voice dropped to a whisper. "And you are mine."

 

"No!" Zora shouted, the storm now sounding like it was inside the room with them. She took advantage of his close proximity and slammed her knee into the Duke's groin.

 

She hit the ground hard as Eligos roared in a mixture of fury and pain. He was kicking her relentlessly in the ribs, stomach, chest and face before she could even consider pulling herself from the ground. Her eyes screwed shut, she could feel her ribs cracking under the onslaught and ugly welts forming over her body. Despite the unimaginable pain flooding through her, she could feel something in her chest. A small ember of familiar warmth that seemed to twist and coil inside of her like it was trying to find a way out. She knew this power, had felt it once before. But, how? Where? The sensation pricked at the back of memories that had been long ago locked away out of her reach.

 

"YOU FUCKING BITCH!" Eligos roared as his foot rammed into her face again, cracking her cheek bone. "I'M GOING TO KILL THEM ALL AND MAKE YOU WATCH!"

 

That was the wrong thing to say.

 

The coil in her chest snapped and power flooded through her body. The pain from Eligos' attack was gone and her eyes sprung open, no longer their original crystal blue. Now, they were an intense, vivid yellow and were glowing brightly. 

 

The storm outside now raged with the intensity of a category five hurricane as the Duke stumbled back from her, pure terror in his eyes. He watched helplessly as Zora stood and focused on him. Her body moved of its own accord as she lifted an open palm toward the Duke. He went hurtling backwards and into a dresser next to the bed, smashing it to pieces. In the next instant, Eligos pushed himself up from the ground and without a second thought, vanished from the room.

 

Zora blinked in confusion, unsure of what had just happened as her eyes faded back to their normal blue, and the storm outside quickly dissipated to nothing. Pain suddenly seared through her again as the intensity of her injuries came back full force. She clutched at her battered sides as she crumbled to the ground unconscious.

 

Adonis stood just outside of the bathroom door he had crashed through, staring in disbelief at Zora's still frame. He had finally broken Eligos' hold on him and scrambled to exit the bathroom just in time to see her stand, yellow eyes blazing with hatred for the Duke of Hell. He never thought he would see the day when she found the power he knew coursed through her veins. It had long since been locked away and wiped from her mind. But she had, and the reason hadn't been for her own safety. He had heard Eligos' threat. She had done it to protect them.

 

To protect Gabriel.

 

Finally breaking from his trance, he ran to her and dropped to his knees to survey the damage to her. He cringed as he took in her appearance. She needed help. She needed to be healed. Something he couldn't do for her. 

 

But, he knew who could. 

 

With a sigh he pulled out his phone and dialed a number he never thought he ever would.


	7. It All Comes Tumbling Down

_**Chapter 7: It All Comes Tumbling Down** _

 

"Is everyone alright?" Dean asked as he stood from behind the main counter of the diner he and Gabriel had been parked in front of.

 

He surveyed the shaken patrons and employees that he and Gabriel had ushered behind the counter when the hurricane force winds had started whipping through the parking lot and thunder clapped so loud the ground shook. Gabriel met Dean's eyes as he looked over the crowd from the other side of the room. Both men knew they were thinking the same thing:

 

That storm hadn't been natural.

 

The evening had been calm, with just a soft warm breeze. Without warning dark clouds swirled into the sky and the storm ripped through the area. The wind had chewed up the vegetation, and the ground was now covered with branches and leaves. A tree had torn from its roots and shot straight through the diner impaling into a booth. Gabriel had barely gotten a couple out of their seat before it had crashed in.

 

When the people around them appeared to be getting their wits about them again, Dean motioned for Gabriel to follow him outside.

 

"Call Zora," Dean instructed the moment they were clear of the doors. The Winchester turned to see Gabriel's phone already to his ear.

 

"Like you even have to tell me," he told him as he listened to the phone ring. When Zora's voicemail picked up, his stomach dropped to his feet. "She didn't answer," he said, taking the phone from his ear.

 

Neither had a chance to react before Gabriel's phone started to ring again. He scrunched his face in confusion when the unknown number lit up his screen and he turned the device to show Dean.

 

"Put it on speaker," Dean suggested.

 

They moved closer to the Impala and away from anyone that could overhear as Gabriel answered the call.

 

"Hello?" he said, holding the phone between them.

 

"Is this Gabriel?" a male voice asked.

 

Something inside of Dean lurched at the voice. He had heard it before. But where?

 

"Who's asking?" Gabriel questioned in return.

 

The man on the other end of the line sighed before he spoke again. "I'm Zora's uncle. I made her give me yours and the other's numbers when she first came to stay with you just in case. I've been trying to get a hold of her, but...I can't. I'm running late. She can't go to that hotel tonight."

 

Dean and Gabriel shared a worrisome glance. "Why?" the former Archangel asked.

 

"Because her dad is there and I don't want him alone with her."

 

"We'll take care of it!" Gabriel half shouted and hung up the phone.

 

Without a word or a moment's hesitation, Dean and Gabriel took off at top speed toward the hotel.

 

* * *

 

 

Adonis slipped his phone back into his pocket and knelt back down beside Zora. He felt his chest clench as he looked at her. Ninety percent of her visible skin was already black and blue, her face was swollen, blood flowed from her nose and mouth as well as random cuts across her cheeks, and her neck showed the evidence of just how hard Eligos had squeezed. He didn't have to lift her shirt to know her torso and chest were covered in bruises and welts along with the broken ribs he knew she had. He carefully reached up to tuck a bloody stray lock of hair behind her ear and he felt tears well in his eyes for the first time in centuries.

 

"I'm so sorry, Zora," he whispered.

 

Zora groaned at his touch as her eyes slowly opened. Pain instantly contorted her face and her arms went to protectively wrap around herself, only causing more agony to shoot through her battered body. Her mind was fuzzy, but her mind slowly wrapped around what had just happened. She had stood up to Eligos, had seen the fear in his eyes when he saw the unfathomable amount of power rolling off of her. Where had it come from, and why couldn't she feel it now? It was like it had never happened. If she hadn't personally felt and saw it, she simply wouldn't have believed it.

 

"Adonis," she said, her voice low and raspy from being nearly strangled to death.

 

"Shh," he soothed. "Gabriel and Dean are on their way."

 

"How?" 

 

"I called Gabriel, told him I was your uncle and that I was running late. They think your  _ ‘dad’ _ was here waiting instead of me."

 

She gave a small nod, but she still had questions and not a lot of time to get the answers. With new determination she pushed her arms underneath herself and tried to push to a sitting position. Her head spun with a splitting headache and her broken ribs felt like they were on fire. She collapsed back onto the ground on her side with a whimper.

 

"Zora!" Adonis cried, placing a hand on her back

 

"Adonis," she whispered, fighting through the pain and turning her head to look at him. "Adonis...what am I?"

 

The demon froze as he met her eyes. He had foolishly hoped she wouldn't remember what transpired. He knew she deserved to know everything, but that would take more time than he had at the moment. The sudden pounding on the door and urgent voices following the noise just reiterated that fact.

 

"ZORA!" Gabriel and Dean both shouted.

 

"We will talk once you're healed," Adonis whispered and quickly made himself invisible.

 

The demon moved to a corner of the room just as Gabriel and Dean kicked the door open and rushed in. He saw the pure, uninhibited rage that flashed in their eyes when they saw Zora beaten and broken, lying in her own blood that had soaked into the carpet.

 

Gabriel rushed to her side, sitting on his knees as he gently turned her to her back so he could take better stock of her injuries.

 

"Gabe," she started when their eyes met.

 

"It's OK, sweetheart," he soothed. "We're here now. You're safe. Where is he?"

 

"Gone."

 

Gabriel's eyes cut to Dean, who had knelt down on her other side. He could see the same fury burning in the man that was tearing through his own system, both of them trying their damndest to remain calm for the girl between them.

 

"Dean, we need to get her to a hospital," Gabriel said.

 

The elder Winchester nodded and quickly got to his feet. "I'll go get the car and meet you at the back entrance."

 

Adonis watched from his corner as Gabriel nodded his agreement and Dean sprinted out of the room. He desperately wanted to make himself visible and help, but he couldn't risk revealing their connection.

 

"Zora, sweetheart, are you still with me?" Gabriel asked when he saw her eyes flutter close. She slowly nodded and his heart clenched in his chest when he saw her wince from the pain the simple action caused. "We gotta get you out of here," he told her as he gently slipped his hand under her neck. "Can you walk?"

 

"I think so," she mumbled.

 

As carefully as he could he bent to wrap his other arm around her waist and slowly helped her to sit up. She yelped at the movement, and he cradled her to his chest, giving her a moment to recover. He gently moved her bloodied locks from her face and kissed the side of her hair.

 

"I know it hurts. I'm so sorry!" he whispered. "I'm gonna take care of you, Sugar."

 

Adonis was astonished at how attentive he was with her, but what surprised him even more was when she relaxed into the former Archangel's embrace. She let him hold on to her in this vulnerable state, fully trusting the words that he was saying. He knew then, without a doubt, the kiss he had seen between them was real. It went far beyond her just wanting to protect him from Eligos, she had truly started to care for him. Maybe even…   
  


"Gabe, I thought I could, but...I don't think I can walk, and he could come back," Zora said weakly. "You have to go."

 

"I'm not leaving without you," Gabriel replied with complete absolution in his voice. "I'm gonna keep you safe, Sugar. He won't touch you again, and I'll do whatever it takes to make sure of that." He waited for her to nod before he spoke again. "I'm going to pick you up, Sweetheart. I'll be as easy as I can, but...it's going to hurt."

 

When he was sure she was ready, Gabriel positioned himself to pick her up in a bridal style embrace and slowly lifted her. The whimpers the movement elicited from her only fanned the flames of his fury for the bastard that put her in that condition.

 

Adonis followed them from the room, listening to every word of comfort the former Archangel whispered to her as he carried her down the hallway and toward the back entrance of the hotel. He cared for her as much as she did him, and it was beyond clear to the demon. It was then that Adonis realized she  _ had _ lied to him about Gabriel being able to sense his grace. She knew what Eligos would do with that information, and she had risked her own life to make sure he didn't find out.

 

It felt like an eternity before Gabriel reached the double glass doors at the end of the hallway. Dean pulled up just as he walked out, and the elder Winchester was out of the car and running to open the front passenger's side door.

 

"Change of plans," Dean said as he pulled the door open. "Sam just called. Cas is back. We are taking her to him so he can heal her."

 

Gabriel simply nodded and moved to place her on the seat. She clutched onto his shirt when she realized what he was about to do.

 

"Don't let me go," she begged.

 

"I won't," he assured her and changed his movements to sit in the front seat with her in his lap, cradled to his chest.

 

Once he was sure they were securely in the car, Dean shut the door and sprinted back to the driver's seat. He peeled the Impala out of the parking lot and on to the main road, heading home as fast as he could manage.

 

As the Impala disappeared around the corner, Adonis vanished. There was a certain Duke of Hell that he needed to have a word with.

 

* * *

 

 

Dean cursed under his breath at the traffic preventing him from slamming his gas pedal to the floor. He gripped the steering wheel so tightly his knuckles were white, but he tried to keep himself calm for Zora's sake. He knew she needed him and Gabriel to reign in how they really felt until she was healed.

 

"I'm sorry," Zora suddenly said, breaking the heavy silence that had fallen on them.

 

Something about those two little words struck a chord in Dean. It could have been the inflection in her tone that made it seem like this was her fault, or the raspiness of her voice where two strong hands had tried to literally squeeze the life out of her, or it could have simply been the fact that she thought she needed to apologize to them. He wasn't sure of the reason, but either way, he wasn't going to stand for this.

 

"No," he said sternly, cutting off anything Gabriel could have said and turning both of their eyes to him. "Don't you  _ dare _ apologize for this!  _ This! _ This utter bullshit you've had to endure from this son of a bitch for however long he's been in your life?  _ None _ of it is your fault, and I will do whatever it takes to make you believe it! I don't care what his bullshit reason was that he made up in his head that made him do this. You didn't deserve what happened to you tonight, you didn't deserve what he did to you the last time he saw you, and you didn't deserve  _ anything _ he's done to you over the years!"

 

"Dean, he's-" Zora started.

 

"What?! He's  _ family?! _ " Dean said, cutting her off. "He may have adopted you and he may have given you a place to live as a kid, but that doesn't make him family. I don't care whose DNA has combined with whose or what some legal document says; family doesn't do this! Your family are the people that are there for you, the ones that fight with and for you. They are the ones that are standing by your side when the world goes to shit, and they are the ones that love you  _ unconditionally _ , even when you royally fuck up. They don't give up on you, and they most certainly don't do what was done to you tonight!"

 

Zora felt her eyes fill with tears as she curled into Gabriel even more than she already was. The action sent a wave of pain through her, but it was nothing compared to the guilt ravaging through her. She had no intention of defending Eligos' actions or calling him family. She had finally willed herself to tell them the truth, but Dean's words had hit hard and, even though she knew if selfish, she didn't want to lose the two men sitting in the car with her, nor the two waiting at the bunker. How was she going to tell them without them hating her? How was she going to explain the parts she didn't even understand herself?

 

The rest of the drive was made in silence, and when Dean pulled the Impala into the garage, Sam and Castiel were sprinting to them before the car was even in park. Sam opened the door for Gabriel, and the former Archangel slowly got out, trying his best not to jostle Zora's body too much. When she was in full view of the angel and the younger Winchester they both gasped as the same rage Dean and Gabriel had been feeling washed over them.

 

Castiel didn't hesitate to reach out his hand and place two fingers to Zora's temple, healing every one of her wounds and then putting her to sleep.

 

"I thought she may need to rest," Castiel explained when his brother turned questioning eyes to him.

 

"I'm going to lay her down," Gabriel said, and exited the garage without waiting for a response.

 

* * *

 

 

Eligos sent his fist into the wall of the mostly bare living room in the old Victorian house he had taken up residence in. With a rageful roar that ripped from his mouth and rattled the foundation, he spun and sent a wave of energy that connected with the high back wing chair sitting in front of the lit fireplace. The chair went flying through the air and crashed into the wall, the furniture exploding into pieces on contact.

 

"How could this happen?!" he shouted to the empty room as he began to pace back and forth, crossing in front of a large mirror with an ornate golden frame with every pass.

 

The wheels in his head spun as he tried to come up with a contingency plan for this new development. He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize the reflection of his profile in the mirror stayed in place when he passed by. The reflection turned and began watching the Duke as he paced and yelled out his frustrations. After a few more minutes of not being seen, the reflection crossed its arms over its chest and huffed loudly.

 

Eligos halted in his steps and quickly turned toward the noise. His eyes darted about the room, looking for the source before finally falling on his reflection in the mirror that was standing in a much different position than he was. He stared for a brief moment until recognition dawned on him.

 

"Hello Empty Entity," Eligos said with a slight bow.

 

"Well it's about time!" the Entity snapped. "I've come to check on your progress. I am getting impatient for the rest of my payment."

 

"Everything is going as planned! Shouldn't be much longer."

 

"DON'T YOU  _ DARE _ LIE TO ME!!" the Entity bellowed.

 

Eligos recoiled slightly, but quickly resumed his posture. "Let me explain-"

 

"What is there to explain?! The half-breed's powers are starting to reawaken, and it appears to have changed loyalties!"

 

"I swear, she will be yours!"

 

"It better be," the Entity growled. "Your carelessness already cost me Gabriel. If you fail to get the abomination to offer itself, I will drag  _ you _ to my domain instead."

 

The reflection in the mirror was suddenly Eligos' own once again. The Empty Entity's threat echoed in his mind. He would make that bitch pay one way or another.

 

"You disgusting, selfish, son of a bitch!"

 

Eligos turned on his heel toward the voice insulting him, and was met with the livid black-eyed stare of Adonis.

 

"YOU OFFERED THE EMPTY ZORA?!" Adonis shouted as he stalked dangerously toward the Duke. "What demented part of your mind thought you would be able to get her to go to that thing willingly?! You do remember that's how it has to be, right?!"

 

"Before Gabriel she did what I said without hesitation," Eligos calmly reminded him.

 

A sly smirk slowly took over Adonis' expression. "That was when she was afraid of you. Looks like the tables turned tonight. The binding has cracked. It's only a matter of time now." The demon took great pride in the pure loathing directed his was by the Duke. "Did you really think I would let this happen, Eligos? Did you honestly think I would let you sacrifice her?"

 

"You have no choice!" Eligos spat, his eyes turning inky black. " _ I _ hold the contract on your soul!"

 

Adonis walked toward the Duke, his expression quickly turning to one that matched Eligos'. "My debt to you was seven thousand years. I've paid that and then some. The only reason I'm still anywhere near you is because of  _ her _ ."

 

A devious smirk was added to the dark look on the Duke's face, contorting it into something that started to show the evil and twisted being he was underneath the well-groomed vessel. "Because she reminds you of the daughter you so long ago lost when that wooden horse invaded?"

 

"You couldn't begin to understand my reasons, but that doesn't matter." An angel blade dropped from Adonis' sleeve and he gripped it tightly. 

 

The fire light reflected off the blade, drawing Eligos' eye. His grin grew wide as an idea invaded his mind. "Looks like I have a plan B."

 

The Duke raised both hands toward Adonis and flames erupted from his palms, tearing through the air like a missile homing in on its target. The demon threw himself out of the way with just a split second to spare. He could smell the foul scent of singed hair as he rolled on the floor. He bounded back to his feet with inhuman speed, ready to attack the Duke. However, he was now the only being in the room.

 

"This isn't over, Eligos!" he growled before he, too, vanished from the house.

* * *

 

 

It had been over an hour since Gabriel had left the Winchesters and Castiel in the garage to tend to Zora. The trio had given him as much reprieve as they could given the situation, but there were certain matters that needed to be attended to, and the former Archangel needed to be a part of the conversation when Castiel explained what he had been doing. Dean had somehow been elected to go find a way to peel Gabriel from Zora's side, a feat the elder Winchester knew would more than likely require the use of a crow bar.

 

Zora's door was open a crack, and he pressed his ear close to listen for any movement. That's when he saw the light coming from beneath Gabriel's closed door right next to Zora's room. He could hear the hurried shuffling coming from inside, and he moved to knock lightly on the door.

 

"Yeah?" Gabriel gruffed from the other side.

 

Dean, taking it as an invitation, opened the door to find the former Archangel hastily shoving clothes and other essentials into a dark gray duffle bag. When he grabbed the angel blade sitting on the nightstand beside the bed, alarm bells rung in the elder Winchester's head.

 

"Gabriel, where do you think you're going?!" he demanded as he walked into the room. 

 

"Ohio," Gabriel grumbled.

 

"Why?!" The question had left Dean's mouth before he thought about it. But when the former Archangel shot him a glare that probably would have turned him to dust had he been powered up, he knew exactly what was going on. "You want to go get your grace."

 

"I  _ am _ going to get my grace." The correction was thrown like a dagger as he shoved the angel blade into his bag. He zipped it closed with more force than needed and turned as he slung the bag over his shoulder. "I'm only going to ask you to get out of my way once, Dean."

 

"Wait...you wanna go alone? Aside from going to get the stuff being in your own words 'a bad idea', going alone just makes it stupid. Why are you doing this?"

 

"Because I'm tired of sitting here with my thumb up my ass! I'm ending this shit!" Gabriel said flatly as he attempted to push past Dean.

 

The elder Winchester grabbed his shoulders and stood his ground, making it clear he wasn't moving without a fight.

 

"Get out of my way, Dean, or I swear I'll-"

 

"You'll what?! Fight me?! If that's what it takes to keep your stupid ass here, then fine!" Dean put up his fists, readying himself for a physical altercation.

 

"Why do you even care?!" Gabriel shouted. "Are you afraid Eligos is going to turn me?! Trust me, he won't know what hit him!"

 

"No, you idiot!" Dean said as he relaxed. "I'm afraid you’re going to get yourself killed  _ again _ , and we need you!"

 

"Why?! Because you want me in your back pocket when I do power up again?!"

 

"Because you're family! We all may have had a rocky start, but I'd like to think we've moved past that! You stepped up for us, Gabriel! Hell, you fucking died for us, and after everything that's happened, if you think for even a second that we wouldn't do the same for you, then you haven't been paying attention!"

 

Gabriel stared at the man in front of him with wide eyes and his mouth hanging open. Of all the angry, snarky, and annoying things that he thought could have come out of Dean's mouth,  _ that _ hadn't been one of them. When had that happened? When had they put aside their differences and let go of the past? He could feel the defiance he was relying on to get out the door flaking away as his shoulders slumped, and he let his bag fall to the floor beside him.

 

"Why don't you tell me the real reason you want to do this," Dean suggested.

 

Gabriel sighed heavily and moved to sit on the edge of his bed, elbows on his knees and his hands clasped together as he stared at the ground. "I'm useless without it."

 

Dean's face twisted in confusion at the absurdity of his words. "Why the hell do you think that? For someone that's only been human barely a month, and been thrown into the life of a hunter on top of that, I think you're doing pretty freaking awesome!"

 

"I couldn't help her, Dean!" Gabriel snapped, raising his eyes to the Winchester. "All I could do was cause her even more pain by just touching her and hoping that her injuries weren't bad enough that…" his voice trailed off, not able to bring himself to say the words. "All I could do was sit there and hope that we got back here in time. I shouldn't have let her go alone."

 

He had watched Castiel heal her, had seen as the wounds and blood faded away, and when he had laid her down in her bed, she had seemed peaceful. Yet, he couldn't get the image of her lying beaten and bloody on that hotel room floor out of his thoughts. Her painful whimpers when he had moved her to sit up played over and over and over again in his head. He despised the fact that he couldn't instantly take her pain away, hated himself for not being able to protect her in the first place. Seeing her broken form and being absolutely useless in fixing it had ripped at him more than anything Asmodeus had ever done to him.

 

Dean took a seat next to Gabriel, mirroring his position. "Listen, man, I get it. I do. I've been kicking myself in the ass from the moment she got out of my car. But leaving her right now to run off and do something stupid isn't going to help her. In case you missed it,  _ you _ were the one she was clinging to, and  _ you _ were the one she didn't want to let her go. You're the one that held her together, Gabe, and you're the one she's going to need to be there when she wakes up. How do you think she's going to feel when she opens her eyes and you're nowhere to be found? I know you want to fix this for her, but you don't need your powers to do that."

 

Gabriel released a breath as he nodded. He knew Dean was right, and even if he would never admit it, he was glad the elder Winchester had been there to open his eyes. "I'm going to kill that man for doing this to her."

 

"Yeah, well, Sam, Cas, and I will help you get rid of the body."

 

"I'm holding you to that."

 

"Good." 

 

The two sat in silence for a few minutes longer until Sam and Castiel walked through the open door. Dean and Gabriel raised their eyes to meet the concerned stares of their respective brothers.

 

"Gabriel, are you going somewhere?" Castiel asked when his eyes fell onto the dark gray duffle bag.

 

Three sets of expectant eyes fell on the former Archangel. "No, not anymore," he told them after a beat.

 

"Then we should really get down to business," Sam suggested.

 

Dean and Gabriel nodded as they stood to their feet.

 

"Should we wake Zora?" Castiel asked hesitantly. "She would probably want to be a part of this conversation."

 

Gabriel released a loud breath. The last thing he wanted to do was take her out of her peaceful slumber, but he knew she would want to hear what Castiel had to say. "I'll go get her. We'll meet you in the war room."

 

* * *

 

 

_ The long seemingly unending hallway didn't make sense. Aside from the fact that it did indeed feel like the corridor was getting longer the more time Zora occupied the space, the walls were a bright yellow with a strip of stark white running down the very center on each side. The walls themselves, despite being bright enough to hurt her eyes if she looked at them long enough, were mostly normal, but it was the floor made of dirt that had pockets of a bubbling tar-like substance and the ceiling made of flames that really threw her off. Surprisingly the flames that raged above her head let off no heat, nor did they scorch the sides of the walls that they touched. But the thing that held her attention, the one aspect of this absurd place that she couldn't veer away from, was by far the most normal.   _

 

_ A regular, plain, wooden door with an ordinary brass door knob was placed in the middle of the hallway, nestled in the striking yellow wall looking like it had absolutely no reason to be there. She couldn't take her eyes off of it. Some part of her knew she had to get that door open. Of course, it was locked, so she had taken to trying to get through by brute force. She had kicked and thrown her shoulder against the surface more times than she cared to count, never stopping to think that she should be in some serious pain by now.  _

 

_ Nor did she notice the young man, looking like he was barely into his twenties, with short wavy brown hair and hazel eyes that swirled green and blue with a hint of brown. A small smile graced his lips as he watched her fling herself against the wood again, this time letting her body slide down the surface with a groan of defeat. _

 

_ "If you're done with that," he said, causing her to scramble to her feet and turn to face him, "we should chat." _

 

_ "Who the hell are you?!" Zora demanded as she positioned her body into a fighting stance. _

 

_ The man's eyebrow quirked up as he looked her over. "You really don't know who I am?" _

 

_ Her glowering silence was his answer. _

 

_ "Hmm," he mused as he moved to lean against the bright yellow wall. "Guess that explains that," he said, hooking his thumb in the direction of the door. "I was wondering what that was." _

 

_ Against every survival instinct she had, Zora felt her posture relax. Somehow she just knew that this man wasn't here to harm her. "Who are you?" _

 

_ "A friend," he responded matter of factly. "You could say we're...kindred spirits." _

 

_ Zora rolled her eyes as her arms crossed over her chest. "Alright 'Anne of Green Gables,' enough with the deflection. If you're not going to answer my question, then I have to continue figuring out how to get in that door." _

 

_ "Do you know why?" _

 

_ She froze. No. She had no clue why she had this overwhelming urge to bust through the wood and find out what was on the other side. _

 

_ "I'm gonna take that as a ‘no,’" the man said, moving to stand straight again. "The door is metaphorically keeping your memories from you. If I had to guess, you won't be able to reach them until you embrace what's behind that door." He pointed to the opposite wall. _

 

_ Zora spun around, where there had once been a blank wall now stood a steel vault door with a small hairline crack going down the center. "How...what?" Her voice sounded small even in her own ears. _

 

_ "You're very special, Zora," the young man continued, turning her attention back to him. "We are the only two of our kind. You can imagine how ecstatic I was to become aware of you. I was just a kid that had just found out some pretty heavy shit. I was alone, because that was safest. Once I embraced who and what I was, I saw you. It terrified me at first because I knew what we could become, but...then I saw...well, maybe it was more I felt, your heart. You were just like me, you just wanted to be good despite all the bad that surrounded you. I thought, with you being older, you might be able to help me figure some things out." _

 

_ Zora stared at him blankly, her brain trying to wrap around the words coming out of his mouth. _

 

_ "When I finally got the courage to contact you," he continued, "I was thrown halfway across the planet. There is still a guy in Australia that wonders to this day how his truck suddenly ended up on its side. It was then I realized your powers had been bound by some pretty hefty magic, and your memories of who and what you were had been," he swept a hand in the direction of the wooden door, "locked away." _

 

_ "What am I?" Zora whispered, not entirely sure she wanted the answer. _

 

_ The man pursed his lips, visibly trying to decide whether or not he should tell her. His eyes flicked toward the ground and focused on a smooth gray stone. He knelt down to pick it up and tossed it to her as he stood. She caught it easily, examining it for a moment before she turned questioning eyes to him  _

 

_ "That's...not my place to say," he said regretfully. _

 

_ "Not your place?!" Zora shouted as she stalked toward him angrily. "No! You're going to-" _

 

_ He held up his hand and she froze in her tracks, her eyes darting around frantically as she realized she couldn't move her body. _

 

_ "It's not my place," he reiterated. His arm dropped to his side as he let out a breath. "I want to tell you everything, but you have to find the answers on your own. It's the only way it will all make sense." _

 

_ She felt a jolt in her chest and realized she could move again. _

 

_ "The angel in the trench coat... Castiel, he's close," the man told her. "Listen to what he's found. That will lead you in the right direction." _

 

_ The entire area around them suddenly started to shift and the walls began to melt away. _

 

_ "It seems someone is trying to wake you up," the man said as he looked about the hall. _

 

_ "This was a dream?" Zora asked _

 

_ "Only way I could get to you," the man said with a shrug. "You're still guarding yourself subconsciously." _

 

_ As the hallway started to melt away into nothingness, the man turned and started walking down what was left of the corridor. _

 

_ "Look me up once you've figured it out," he called over his shoulder. _

 

_ "No wait!" she shouted, and started to run after him. However, no matter how hard she pushed herself, she couldn't catch up to him. "I don't even know your name! How will I find you?!" _

 

_ "When you're ready, you'll just know," he said. Then he faded away. _

 

Zora sucked in a sharp breath as she shot up from her bed and collided with a firm, but warm, surface. It took her dream-rattled brain a second to process the sound of Gabriel's voice and his arms wrapping around her protectively.

 

"Zora!" Gabriel called, more than a little fear in his tone. "Sugar, it's OK, you're safe!"

 

Her body instantly relaxed as she wrapped her arms around his middle, the dream replaying in her mind in more vivid detail than she had ever experienced. Gabriel gave her a moment before he pulled away to look at her.

 

"Are you alright? Do you know where you are?" Gabriel asked.

 

"Yeah," she said, looking around her room. "Just had a really strange dream." Her eyes fell back to him and the worried expression on his face. She reached out to place her hand on the one he had resting on her knee. "Really, Gabe, I'm fine."

 

He nodded, still not fully believing her. "I'm sorry to have to wake you, but we all thought you would want to be there to talk to Cas with us."

 

The man's words that had been spoken in her dream suddenly echoed in her mind. 

 

_ "Listen to what he's found. That will lead you in the right direction." _

 

"Yes!" she said quickly.

 

He nodded, choosing to ignore her sudden enthusiasm, and stood. "Go ahead and get changed and meet us in the war room."

 

Zora looked down at her wrinkled shirt that was still spattered with her own dried blood.

"Sorry," Gabriel said nervously as he brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck. "I didn't really feel comfortable disrobing you without your permission."

 

Zora chuckled and smiled at him warmly. After all the times they had romped in various places in the bunker, his sudden uncertainty was heartwarming. "It's OK, Gabe. I'll be out in a minute. But, for future reference, you have my permission."

 

An impish smirk graced his lips, but Zora couldn't help but feel it didn't reach his eyes. He was still worried about her, but doing his best to let her lead their exchange. "I'll keep that in mind," he said with a wink. "Do you need anything?"

 

"No, I'm alright."

 

"I'll see you out there then," he said, and made his way out of the room.

 

When her door was closed, she pulled the blankets from her body and stood from the bed. She then heard something connect with the cement floor with a soft thump. Her eyes were immediately scanning the ground in search of what had fallen. She gasped and fell to her knees when she saw it: the smooth grey stone the man in her dream had tossed at her was lying in front of her. Carefully, with thoughts in her mind racing around so fast they were stumbling over each other, she hesitantly reached out to pick up the polished rock. Her chest tightened painfully as all the air in her lungs escaped her.

 

It had  _ not _ been just a dream.

 

"Who are you?" she whispered as she stared at the stone in her hand.

 

* * *

 

 

Gabriel walked into the war room to find it empty. He idly wondered where the others were, but at the moment he was thankful for the silence. He slumped down into one of the chairs, letting his body relax and his head fall back to stare at the ceiling. How had a day that had started out so peaceful end up being such a cluster fuck? 

 

That morning's events seemed so far away now, but he clung to the vision of Zora excitedly moving around the kitchen, gathering the ingredients she needed to make the pancakes she knew he loved. She had stopped to tease Dean about the obscene amount of bacon he was frying and then discreetly peered around Sam's shoulder to make sure he was making the eggs the way she had showed him. 

 

It was no secret to Gabriel that he was mesmerized by her from the moment she walked into the war room that first night. The way she moved, the sound of her voice, her laugh, her smile that lit up his whole world. How her brows furrowed when she read something she didn't quite understand, and how one side of her mouth would curve upwards when she figured it out. The sound of her humming her favorite song while she cooked, and how easy it had been to start a friendship with her. 

 

All that was before the physical aspect entered their relationship. Once that started, he knew he wouldn't be able to get enough of her. That mischievous look she got in her eyes before she pressed herself against him and pulled him away to find a private spot always put a grin on his face, and when that gaze turned heated and lust driven he almost couldn't breathe. He simply craved every part of her.

 

However, it wasn't until earlier that morning that the depth of his feelings had been realized. They had had an impromptu movie night the evening before with Sam and Dean, and the four of them had fallen asleep in the den. Sam and Dean had been in their recliners and he and Zora cuddled together on the couch. He had been the first to wake lounged on the loveseat with Zora sitting across his lap and curled up against his chest. Their arms had wound around each other and she looked so incredibly beautiful while she slept so peacefully in his arms. Without warning, the thought hit him like a ton of bricks.

 

From that moment, all he wanted to do was tell her. The thought was absolutely terrifying. Yet, instead of wanting to run from it, he wanted nothing more than to go embrace it head on. But he wanted it to be, as cheesy as it sounded, perfect. She deserved that. He had racked his brain trying to figure out how, and when Dean had called him out on his feelings in the Impala on the way to take off the trash, the elder Winchester had been surprisingly helpful in helping him figure out how to do it.

 

Then everything went to hell.

 

Now, here he sat, with the reality of why they had all been brought together at the forefront again and finding Zora in the condition he had breathing down his neck. 

 

"You alright?"

 

Dean's concerned voice brought Gabriel abruptly out of his thoughts as he raised his head to meet the elder Winchester's gaze.

 

"This isn't exactly how I saw this night going," Gabriel replied honestly.

 

"Yeah, guess the date did kinda get postponed, huh?"

 

"I think the word you are looking for is 'ruined,’ Dean."

 

"Nah," Dean said as he sat down in a chair across from Gabriel. "I think it's salvageable. You still have everything we got at the store. I saw the bags in your room."

 

"Really don't think she's going to be up for it tonight."

 

"I think she needs it. You both do."

 

"Need what?" Sam asked as he walked into the war room with Castiel at his side. The angel carried a cardboard box that he set at the head of the table.

 

"Food," Dean covered quickly. "None of us got to eat dinner tonight and I'm starving!"

 

"You're always hungry, Dean," Zora said as she entered.

 

Four sets of worried eyes instantly fell on her, each of them unsure of how to proceed. Their gazes followed her as she moved to sit down next to Gabriel.

 

"Guys," she said, making eye contact with each of them. "I'm fine. Let's get this show on the road."

 

She saw them all trade uncertain looks, all of them having an unspoken conversation with pointed stares and subtle nods. She was about to comment when Dean turned his attention to her.

 

"We will," he started. "But, first there is something we want to talk to you about."

 

"Dean, I really don't want to talk about what happened tonight," Zora said sternly.

 

"We get that, Sugar," Gabriel said as he reached out to cover her hand that was resting on the map table's surface. "While it has something to do with it, that's not what this is about."

 

Zora's stomach twisted into knots as fears crashed through her mind. Did they know? Her eyes scanned the room, slight relief setting in when she wasn't met with anger filled eyes.

 

"Zora," Sam started cautiously. "We all knew going into this that you staying here was a temporary thing until we took care of the demons after you. But, the truth is, you really have become part of the family. We all talked about it before Gabriel woke you up, and  _ none _ of us want you to leave."

 

Her eyes swept over all of them as she felt Gabriel squeeze her hand. "What...what exactly are you guys saying?"

 

"We all want you to make this your home," Dean said.

 

"Indefinitely," Gabriel added.

 

"You're safe and  _ no one _ will find you here. We will all make sure of that," Castiel promised.

 

Zora felt tears fill her eyes that she didn't have it in her to fight. They considered her family and were offering her an out from the hell of a life she was accustomed to. But, when that nagging sense of guilt kicked in, she realized that they didn't truly know what they were saying. They had no clue as to the real reason why they were all brought together, nor did they know that the reason Eligos had beaten her was because she had chosen them. Would they still be offering her an escape if they knew what she had done?

 

"You don't have to answer now," Gabriel said softly as he squeezed her hand again. "Just think it over and let them know."

 

"Just so we're clear," Dean said quickly. "That offer is for you too, Gabe. This is your home as well, if you want it."

 

Gabriel turned his eyes to Dean and then to the other two who nodded their agreement. A smile crossed his lips as he silently accepted their offer.

 

"Alright, then," Dean said as he leaned back in his chair. "Now we can get down to business."

 

With agreement from the room, Sam took a seat next to his brother and Castiel launched into his explanation. He told them of going to Heaven's gate and demanding answers from Duma, and what she had told him that sent him to LaSalle. There he had found the sheriff that told him of the unnamed missing girl. He told them in detail about what the man had witnessed, the single car fire that exploded leaving the mother a charred husk, but the little girl didn't have a burn or scratch anywhere on her body after being projected from the wreckage by the force of the blast. How the poor girl had refused to let anyone touch her and screamed about a man with black eyes that was trying to kill her. The angel then took a deep breath as he stilled himself for the next part of the story. The part he knew would send shockwaves through his brother.

 

"Holt said that when he opened the door to see what was causing the girl to scream…" Castiel's voice trailed off.

 

"Cas, what did he see," Sam encouraged.

 

Castiel brought his eyes up to meet Gabriel's. "From the description he gave, and Rowena confirmed, Holt saw Asmodeus taking the girl."

 

The tension that suddenly filled the room was palpable. Gabriel felt the air jerked from his lungs as he tried to wrap his brain around what he had just heard, only to have to remind himself that the yellow-eyed bastard was dead. He quickly realized all eyes in the room were on him, awaiting his reaction. He cleared his throat and focused on his brother.

 

"The Kentucky fried asshole is dead," Gabriel said. "I'm fine." He wasn't going to let the bastard's mere memory drag him back down into a hole he had clawed himself out of. "What about the woman in the nursing home?"

 

"You all know as much as I do about her. Rowena has a spell that will break the magical blocks on her mind. That's what took me so long to get here, I had to pick up an ingredient on my way here. We should have the rest of what we need here."

 

"What about the girl?" Dean asked. "She looked like she was between six and eight in the picture you sent. That would make her close to thirty now. Does she need to be rescued? Or is she nothing but a demon pawn now?"

 

"Is she even human?" Sam asked.

 

"I'm wondering if she's even alive," Gabriel said. "If Assface had her for any amount of time it's...it's untelling what she went through. Eligos isn't much better either."

 

"I wish I had the answers to those questions," Castiel responded solemnly. "The only thing we can do is let Rowena perform her spell and hope Kay can give us some answers."

 

As the men around her started to form their plan of attack, their voices faded to background noise for Zora. The tale that Castiel had told them wasn't what she remembered. She knew of a car accident, but no fire that had only involved one vehicle or her being flung from the car unharmed. She didn't recall screaming about a man with black eyes trying to kill her, and she definitely did not remember Asmodeus. To her knowledge the only interaction she had ever had with the demon prince was when he had stormed into the house she, Eligos, and Adonis were in at the time screaming about Gabriel escaping. That was the first time she had heard of Gabriel, and even Adonis hadn't known the Archangel was being held prisoner. It wasn't until later when she overheard Eligos and Adonis talking that she found out what Asmodeus had done to Gabriel, and she secretly hoped that the Archangel wouldn't be found. Adonis had said everything she knew about how she came to Eligos was a lie, but she never expected this. Had the Duke and the Prince killed her mother? Why? Why had they wanted her so bad?! Who was she?! What was she?!

 

"Sugar?" 

 

Gabriel's soft voice shattered her thoughts and her eyes flew to where he now knelt beside her chair. With a quick glance around the room, she realized they were the only remaining occupants.

 

"Where is everyone?" she asked, silently cursing the tremble in her voice.

 

"Storage room with Cas gathering the stuff Rowena needs for her spell."

 

"Are we leaving soon then? Do I need to go get ready to leave?"

 

"Are you sure you're up for that, Sugar?" Gabriel asked. "I'm sure they would understand if you needed to sit this one out."

 

"I need a distraction, Gabe."

 

He sighed deeply, but nodded. "We aren't leaving until morning. Of all things to be out of, we need to pick up some white sage. There is a place in town that has it, and we're grabbing it on our way out. That, and Sam wants to finish hacking into the nursing home."

 

He watched the blank expression on her face, desperately wishing he knew what was going on inside her head and what he could do to help her. With one hand he reached up to cup the side of her face, and she automatically closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

 

"Why don't you go lay down, Sweetheart?" Gabriel suggested. "I'll finish up with the others and then I'll be in to check on you."

 

Zora opened her eyes and nodded. A moment alone to work through everything, and possibly formulate her next move, sounded like a really good idea.

 

* * *

 

 

Zora sat on the side of her bed, her gaze held by the stone now sitting on the nightstand. How had the man in her dream known what Castiel had discovered? Who was he and why did he know so much about her? An army of questions stormed through her mind, growing with every passing second. She knew that if she just came clean to Gabriel, the Winchesters, and Castiel that they might see that she was on their side. But, the fear of them hating her, especially Gabriel, kept her mouth clamped tight.

 

She needed to get to Kay before they did, that much she knew. It was what to do when she got there that eluded her. She had no idea where Rowena was even staying while she waited on them, and the witch had no reason to trust her. Zora sighed loudly and let her body fall back onto the mattress with her legs still hanging from the side by her knees. This all needed to end. She needed to end it and she didn't want to drag the others down with the secrets still hidden to her. Secrets that part of her knew would be the end of Eligos, and he needed to be stopped at any cost. If she could find a way to take him out on her own, she could take the offer to make the bunker her home. Maybe she could sneak out after everyone was asleep.

 

A soft knock caught her attention and she turned her head to the door. "Come in," she called.

 

When Gabriel walked in and closed the door behind him she could feel most of the tension leave her body. His presence alone was enough to lift the weight on her chest, allowing her to breathe for what felt like the first time since Castiel had started talking about his trip to Colorado. He smiled at her and she couldn't help but return the sentiment.

 

"Hey, Sugar," he said as he crawled on the bed to lay next to her on his side, propping himself up with his elbow. "How are you doing?"

 

"I could ask you the same question."

 

Gabriel paused to raise a questioning eyebrow at her, then her meaning set in: The Kentucky fried asshole.

 

"That's... he's…" He struggled to find the words. "I'm fine. I refuse to give him the power of a reaction anymore. He's dead. That's all that matters." He placed his hand over hers at her side, grasping it gently. "But, I believe I asked you first."

 

"Caught that avoidance, did ya?"

 

"Master deflector," he said as he pointed to himself.

 

She sighed as his hand covered hers again, his thumb gently stroking her wrist. The simple, caring touch was enough to completely disarm her if she let it. And oh, how she desperately wanted to let it. To give in and tell him everything, including what she knew she felt in her heart for him.

 

"My head is a mess right now," she said honestly.

 

"You wanna talk about it?"

 

More than he knew.

 

"Not really," she said

 

"Is there anything I can do?"

 

A small smile tugged at her lips and she reached up with her free hand to caress his cheek with her finger tips. "Just you being here helps more than you know. I'd much rather be lost in you than my own head." 

 

Her fingers slipped to the back of his neck and she gently tugged. Following her direction, he pressed his lips to hers, his hand moving from hers to her hip. The kiss was slow as their mouths moved together, tongues meeting and gently caressing. The action held a different kind of passion than either was used to. It wasn't heated and needy like most of their kisses had been. It was closer to the tenderness they had shared in the parking lot of the hotel earlier that night, except now there was a level of intimacy that they had yet to share with each other until now. It was an act full of the emotions they couldn't find the words to express, and promises they ached to make to one another.

 

As the kiss ended, his hand moved from her hip to cradle the side of her face and he pressed his forehead hers.

 

"Is this what you want?" he whispered.

 

It didn't take a genius to know where the moment was heading. They both were breathless and his erection was now evident against her thigh even through their layers of clothing, while heat pooled between her legs. But that wasn't what he was asking and they both knew it. He was asking if  _ he _ was what she wanted, if she was ready to admit the bond that had grown between them, and that she needed all of him the way that he needed every part of her.

 

She stared up into his eyes, molten gold pulling her into their depths, and she smiled. "Yes, Gabriel."

 

The next thing she knew, Gabriel was practically jumping off of the bed and heading towards the door, leaving her scrambling to sit up and look at him completely confused.

 

"Gabe, what the hell?!"

 

If it wasn’t for the fact that he had a smile on his face that put the brightness of the sun to shame, she would have been very worried about the sudden change in his mood. He quickly walked back over to her and bent down to place a quick kiss on her lips.

 

"Hold that thought for like…" he paused while he calculated something in his head, "five minutes."

 

Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she tried to respond, but all she managed to do was gaze at him with utter perplexity in her features.

 

"Just trust me!" he said, slight mischief in his tone. "Five minutes."

 

"Um...OK," she stammered.

 

With her agreement, he kissed her again and hastily made his way back to her door. He turned to her as he opened it. "Five minutes, then come to my room."

 

He was gone and her door closed before she could even begin to think of a response.

 

"Seriously! What the hell?!" she exclaimed to the empty room.

 

The only thing she could do was wait. So, she crossed her legs and leaned back on her hands to watch the small digital clock on the bedside table. What on Earth could he possibly be doing?

 

The minutes ticked by like hours and as soon as the clock indicated that it had been his requested five minutes, she was out her door and opening his.

 

"Alright, Gabe are you going to tell me…" Her words faded away and she gasped, her hands covering her mouth as she took in the sight around her.

 

The scene before her was straight out of a romantic movie. Soft music played and his room was lit only by the candles strategically placed on the desk, dresser, and both nightstands. Rose petals of every color were scattered around the candles and across the bed. The normal sheets that were on every bed inside the bunker had been replaced with elegant crimson satin sheets, complete with a midnight black embossed blanket of the same material. Completing the vision of romance was a single long stemmed red rose placed in the center of the bed with a delicate golden silk bow tied around where the bloom met the stem.

 

Zora heard the door softly click close, then felt Gabriel's arms wrap around her waist from behind. The tip of his nose traced along the side of her neck before his chin rested on her shoulder.

 

"Gabe!" she whispered as her hands dropped to cover his. "What is all this?"

 

"It was supposed to be the last part of our date, but I had to move things around. Do you like it?" 

 

The nervousness in his question brought a smile to her face. How could he possibly think she would do anything but love what he had done? He had done all of this for her! She could barely believe it. She turned in his arms to face him and held his face between her hands.

 

"Gabriel, it's beyond perfect," she told him, and placed a kiss on his lips. "But, why did you do all this?" Her hands moved to lace her fingers together behind his neck.

 

A look of disquiet ebbed into his features as his hold on her tightened ever so slightly, and he took a deep breath. "I um...I wanted to tell you something tonight."

 

"What did you want to tell me?"

 

He took another deep breath and kissed her softly. "That I've fallen in love with you."

 

Zora's eyes widened at his words. Had she heard him correctly? Did he really love her? Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes and she felt the remaining walls around her heart crumble to dust.

 

"I love you, too," she whispered.

 

Before the last syllable was out of her mouth, his lips were on hers again. What started out slow, quickly became hungry and needy with his hands traveling up and down her back, pulling her into him. She moved to trail her fingers down his chest and started to quickly unbutton his jeans. However, before she could, he broke their kiss and grabbed her hands. 

 

"Hold on," he whispered.

 

"Gabe," she pleaded, trying to keep the whine out of her voice. "I need you!"

 

With one hand he cupped the side of her face and smiled. "I'm not denying you, Sweetheart. I need you, too."

 

"Then what's wrong?"

 

"Every time we've had sex, it's been to the point as fast as we could get there. I've never even gotten to see you completely naked. We haven't even had sex in a bed. All I'm saying is, for once, just slow down and let me take care of you." His hand slid down her back to her hip and he dipped his head to kiss the side of her neck. "Let me show you how beautiful you are to me." His lips moved to the other side of her neck. "Let me show you how much I love you."

 

Gabriel pulled back just enough to look into her eyes, and when she nodded her agreement, his lips captured hers.

 

Her arms circled around his neck as his hands skimmed up and down her sides a few times before he gripped the hem of her shirt and slowly pulled it up and off of her. As the material hit the floor his lips were on her neck, blazing a trail down to her collar bone and eliciting small moans from her while she worked on the buttons of his shirt. She slipped it from his shoulders, running her hands down his arms as it pooled on the floor.

 

Gabriel moved to stand behind her, pressing his body against her as his hands slid around to caress her stomach and down to her jeans. With deft fingers he unfastened the button and pushed down the zipper. He slowly dropped to his knees, leaving a trail of kisses down her spine. Every move he made he took his time with, enjoying every sound that fell from her lips. He pulled down her pants, lavishing the curve of her ass with hot kisses.

 

When she stood in just her black lace bra and matching thong, he rose and stepped in front of her. He took a moment to admire the view before his lips were on hers again, his hands dropping down to her thighs to lift her, coaxing her legs around his waist as her arms went around his neck again.

 

He walked to the bed, breaking their kiss to lay her in the middle after he grabbed the rose and placed it to the side of her body. His lips found her neck again, teasing the sensitive skin as his hands slid under her back to unclasp her bra. She moaned loudly when his teeth grazed her collar bone, arching her back into him, and he took the opportunity to remove her bra. He tossed it over his shoulder and latched his mouth onto her nipple.

 

"Oh, Gabe!" she gasped as he swirled his tongue around the nub until it was hard and tight.

 

He moved his attention to her other breast, paying it the same attention he had the other until she was panting and squirming beneath him. Her fingers threaded through his hair, following his movements as he kissed and nipped his way down her torso to the waist of her panties. His fingers hooked into the sides and he started to pull them down, taking his time to lavish the newly revealed skin before his lips followed the path of the fabric down her thighs and calves, switching between each leg to worship every part of her.

 

When the thin lacy garment joined the rest of her clothing on the floor he stood, looking down at her from the foot of the bed as he undid his own jeans. Their eyes locked, fire in their gaze.

 

"You're so beautiful," he said, and pushed his pants and boxers over his hips, letting them fall to the ground and kicking them to the side.

 

"Not so bad yourself," she replied, an impish smile on her face.

 

He returned the sentiment and started to crawl back up her body with feline-like grace, his amber eyes holding a lustful and predatory gaze as he hovered over her. He kissed her slowly and then stood on his knees, picking up the rose he had laid beside her.

 

"Hands above your head," he instructed, his voice low and husky with desire.

 

She did as he told her and watched him as he brought the bloom of the flower to her right wrist, trailing it softly down her arm to her shoulder before he did the same to her other arm. The soft ghost of a touch from the velvety petals sent tingles through her skin that went straight down to her core. The intense feeling intensified as he brought the bloom to her neck, swirling it over her skin down to her chest where he traced the petals around the swell of her breasts, through the valley between them and circled each nipple. By the time he moved down to her stomach she was gasping for breath again. He had barely even touched her, and she could feel her own wetness seeping out of her. No one had ever sent her this high before. She fought the urge to reach out and drag his body to hers-she needed him desperately-yet she didn't want this all encompassing feeling to end.

 

"Gabriel!" she gasped, he eyes fluttering shut when he moved to the side of her body and ghosted the rose over her hips and brushed it against her slick folds.

 

He was only there for a second before the petals found her inner thigh, and he kept his agonizingly slow pace down each of her legs. She was so lost in the electricity he was sending to every nerve in her body she didn't realize he had moved between her legs until he was spreading them wide, his tongue sliding into her entrance. He groaned at discovering how wet she already was for him.

 

"Fuck! Gabriel!" The loud moan punched out of her mouth and her hands flew down to his hair, her fingers twisting into his locks.

 

The room filled with the sound of her pleasure as he explored every inch of her sex with his mouth. He mapped out every spot that made her writhe, taking special note of the actions that made his name tumble from her lips and her fingers tighten in his hair. She could feel the hot coil of her release winding tighter in her stomach, and all she could do was try to hold on as he pushed her higher and higher.

 

His lips finally closed around her aching clit, swirling his tongue around the little bundle of nerves as he inserted two thick fingers inside of her. The combined sensation sent her back arching and her mouth opening in a silent scream of ecstasy. His fingers curved, rubbing against the sweet spot deep inside of her and the coil snapped.

 

"FUCK!! OH GABRIEL! YES! YES! DON'T STOP!" she screamed, the intensity of the orgasm rocketing her into the stratosphere. 

 

Her vision blurred, and the world inked around the edges, as he guided her through her release. Even as she slowly started to come down from her high, his ministrations never stopped, causing another orgasm to crash into her just as the other ended. By the time he was crawling back up her body she was gasping for air, her mind foggy with post orgasmic bliss.

 

He captured her lips with his and pressed his body to hers. Their hands and mouths roamed each other's bodies hungrily, seeking out every bit of sensitive skin they could find. He settled his hips between her legs and his rock hard erection brushed against her entrance, still dripping with her need for him.

 

"I love you, Gabriel," she whispered, her fingers carding through his hair again.

 

"I love you, too," he said, a smile pulling at his lips as he pressed his forehead to hers.

 

As their lips met, he pushed into her, both of them moaning at the sensation. 

 

"Fuck!" he rasped, his head dropping to her shoulder. "You feel amazing, Sweetheart!"

 

Her legs wrapped around his waist, locking at her ankles and he started to move inside of her with slow languid strokes at first, relishing in every sound he elicited from her as his cock dragged against every sweet spot inside of her. As his speed increased he raised his head and their eyes locked, heightening the pleasure between them and creating a level of intimacy that rendered them both speechless. 

 

It was more than either of them had ever experienced and they both clung to the feeling with everything they had as their bodies soared toward the climax of the pleasure. He snapped his hips into hers, and she rocked her own to meet each of his thrusts. Their moans and cries of each other's names filled them room.

 

"Gabe!" Zora moaned. "Oh fuck! Ah! Ah! Gabriel, I'm so close!"

 

Her walls started to clench around him and he groaned at the feeling. "Cum with me, Sugar! Cum on my cock!"

 

They both screamed the other's name as their shared euphoria crashed down on them. Her tight core clenched and spasmed around his cock as he painted her insides with his hot, sticky seed. Neither stopped their movements until oversensitivity set in and their bodies were jerking from the shockwaves of electricity shooting through them.

 

He carefully slid out of her and they laid in silence for a moment, their bodies still tangled together, trying to return their breathing to normal as they shared lazy kisses. Eventually, he rolled onto his back, wrapping his arm around her and drawing her in to his side as he did. Her head nestled on his chest as her arm draped over his stomach.

 

No words needed to be spoken as they rested wrapped around each other, Zora idly stroking the skin of his stomach, and Gabriel tracing seemingly random patterns from the base of her neck down to the small of her back and then up again. They both knew they had entwined their hearts into one and would do anything to ensure their futures together.

 

Zora knew now more than ever that any hope for a life with the man she loved meant the end of Eligos, and she would ensure that the Duke was stopped. For Gabriel, and for the family she had formed with the Winchesters and Castiel. She just hoped by the end of it, they all still felt the same for her.

 

The one thing she wasn't aware of, however, was that the patterns Gabriel was tracing into her back with his fingers were, by no means, random...

 

* * *

 

 

Silent tears flowed down her face as Zora placed the folded piece of paper with Gabriel's name written across the front on the nightstand by the side of the bed. She had waited until she was sure he was in a deep sleep before she reluctantly slipped out of his arms and put her clothes back on. Every part of her was screaming to crawl back under the covers and wrap her body around his, but she had to do this.

 

For him.

 

For all of them.

 

"I love you," she whispered as she softly caressed his cheek with the tips of her fingers, being extremely careful not to wake him.

 

With one last longing look at him she turned and made her way out of Gabriel's room. She quietly closed the door behind her and leaned against it for a moment as she tried to wipe away her tears. However, It was no use; the more she tried to dry her eyes the worse it got. She was thankful that most of the bunker's occupants were sleeping and the only one she would have to keep an ear out for was Castiel.

 

With a ragged breath, she swallowed her tears the best she could and padded lightly through the hallways of the bunker and into the war room. The cardboard box Castiel had brought in was still In the same place and with one look inside she could tell that it contained the ingredients needed for the spell Rowena would be performing. She riffled through the box, looking for any clue as to where the witch was staying, nearly cheering when she found the receipt for the room the angel had rented, complete with address and room number. She shoved the receipt into her front pocket and moved to grab the box, but something else inside caught her eye and she stopped.

 

It was the picture Castiel had sent them of her younger self on Kay's lap. She tentatively plucked the picture from the box to get a better look. For the first time, she saw the resemblance between herself and the woman in the photograph. Her fingers lightly traced over Kay's face as she wondered how the woman was connected to her.

 

"It's you, isn't it? You're the little girl in that picture."

 

Castiel's voice from the entryway of the war room startled her and she dropped the photo into the box as she brought her eyes up to the angel. Anxiety flooded through her, and her mind reeled for an answer to his question.

 

"I need you to tell me the truth, Zora," Castiel said as he cautiously started to walk toward her.

 

"Cas, I...it's not what you think!" she stammered, subconsciously taking a step back.

 

"I didn't notice the likeness at first, between you and Kay. But now, I see it." Castiel spoke calmly as he took another step forward. "Who is she, Zora?"

 

"I don't know," Zora said, her voice cracking. She could feel the walls closing in on her, not realizing she was still moving away from the angel as he continued slowly advancing towards her.

 

"Are you working with Eligos? Have you been playing us? Have you just been leading Gabriel on?"

 

"I love Gabriel!" she shouted. Her back suddenly connected with the iron staircase and she felt her fear and anxiety start to bubble over, causing her voice to become frantic. "It's not what you think! I hate Eligos!" Her arms wrapped around herself as Castiel took his last step, placing him right in front of her. "He forced me to insert myself into your lives, he wanted someone to have an eye on all of you!"

 

"So you are working for him?!" The anger in the angel's voice was evident now.

 

"No! I mean...I was...but...but then...then I got to know all of you. I started to care for all of you, and then...then I fell in love with your brother! Cas, you have to believe me! He tried to kill me tonight because I chose all of you! Because I refused to give him the information he wanted!"

 

Her chest tightened painfully as the angel's overwhelming protective presence filled the room. He towered over her, his blade wielding arm at his side. She was afraid that he would drop his weapon at a moment's notice.   
  
"Then prove to me that you're on our side, Zora!" he implored. "Tell me where Eligos is! Tell me who Kay is to you! What does Asmodeus have to do with this?" His voice rose in intensity as he tried to plead with her. "Why did they take you in the first place?  _ What are you _ ?!"

 

"I DON'T KNOW!!" she screamed, and tried to move away from him.

 

His strong hands were on her upper arms and holding her securely in place. "How do you not know?! If you just tell me the truth we can help you, Zora! Please!" His voice now held a desperate pleading.

 

"I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT I DON'T KNOW!" she yelled again, trying to wrench herself from the angel's grasp. "LET ME GO!"

 

The faint sound of thunder outside the bunker filled the room and Zora could feel the same coil of power she had felt at the hotel start to wind in her chest. However this time there was something else. Her spine was starting to heat up and tingle from the base of her neck all the way down to the small of her back.

 

"Zora, please!" Castiel pleaded again. "Just tell me the truth! We can figure this out together!"

 

I DON'T KNOW!! PLEASE JUST LET ME GO!!!"

 

"ZORA! PLEASE!"

 

"I SAID LET ME GO!!!"

 

Her eyes blazed bright yellow as the coil in her chest snapped. Castiel's eyes went wide as he looked into her glowing orbs, not realizing her hands had raised to his chest until it was too late and he was flying across the room. As the angel crashed hard into the wall, Zora's eyes returned to normal. Reacting as fast as she could, she grabbed the box and ran toward the exit of the war room, stopping at the threshold to look at Castiel as he tried to scramble to his feet.

 

"I promise, Cas. I'm going to fix this. I'm going to stop Eligos!"

 

Their eyes met for the briefest of moments as she made her promise, but before he could react she was running as fast as she could to her car in the garage.

  
  



	8. The Cold Hard Truth

_**Chapter 8: The Cold Hard Truth** _

 

 

Tears streamed down Zora's face, blurring her vision as she pressed her gas pedal to the floorboard of her car. The aftermath of the storm she vaguely remembered hearing while still in the bunker had drenched the roads and a fog was starting to roll in. Her mind was a mess as she tried to focus on the road, but the incident with Castiel ravaged through her thoughts. What had she done?! How had she done it?! Was Castiel hurt? What was going on?! What the _fuck_ was she?! There was no turning back now; she had to find all the answers or she would never be able to go back to Gabriel. She could see him, Sam, and Dean tearing out of their rooms and running toward the loud crash that she had caused when she magically threw Castiel across the room. Could see their faces turning from worried to angry as the angel explained what had happened.

 

Were they coming after her now? Did they hate her? Did Gabriel still love her? She scoffed angrily at herself. Of course he didn't, he would hate her once he found out her connection to Eligos. She never deserved his love to begin with, but it had felt so good to be wrapped in his loving embrace. His sweet words and actions had made her feel, if only for the moment, that she was worthy of someone caring for her as much as he did.

 

As much as the idea of her now being on the two pairs of brothers' metaphorical kill list hurt, she couldn't focus on that now. She had a mission to fulfill to save the people she had grown to love so very much. A mission that was now much harder than it had been just a few minutes prior. Now they knew her secret, and more than likely had figured out where she was headed. Rowena would be their first phone call, and they would warn the witch that she was coming. From stories that she had heard from the Winchesters, she knew just how powerful the witch was and she knew she would have to be careful. Slipping in to the hotel room to get her hands on the spell she needed was going to be tricky and she still had to locate some white sage.

 

Her gaze fell on the box sitting in her passenger's seat. If only she had gotten more of a head start. She could have found the sage, performed the spell, gotten her answers, and been on to the next phase of her plan before the others caught up to her. As it stood now, they would be hot on her heels the entire time and avoiding them until she completed what she was doing was going to be damn near impossible.

 

She wiped at the tears still flowing down her face and turned her attention back to the road. A loud gasp punched from her mouth when she saw the large branch in the middle of the pavement, and her vehicle was heading straight towards it.. She slammed her foot on the brake, screeching her tires and sending the car into a tailspin on the wet black top, hurtling the vehicle toward a ditch and large unforgiving trees.

 

A scream ripped from her lips and suddenly Zora and her car were gone, leaving the stretch of road quiet and deserted.

 

* * *

 

 

"CAS!" Dean shouted as he, Sam, and Gabriel charged into the war room, each with guns drawn.

 

The trio ran over to the angel and knelt around him as he pushed himself to a sitting position and leaned his back against the wall.

 

"Cas, what happened?!" Sam asked urgently.

 

"Are you OK?" Gabriel asked with the same inflection as he looked around the room. "Where's Zora?"

 

Castiel's face twisted into an expression that made the angel look almost sick as Gabriel brought his attention back to him.

 

"Cas! Where's Zora?!" Gabriel demanded again.

 

Castiel's gaze swept between the three men who were looking at him with desperate questions in their eyes.

 

"She's the one who did this," he said quietly.

 

"WHAT?!" the other three exclaimed together.

 

"What do you mean she did this?!" Gabriel spat as he jumped upright.

 

Sam and Dean stood, helping Castiel to his feet as they did.

 

"Cas, how did Zora knock you on your ass?" Dean asked. "I mean, I know she can fight, but you're an angel!"

 

"She's the missing girl that Eligos and Asmodeus took. I don't think she's human, at least not entirely," Castiel cautiously explained.

 

"LIAR!" Gabriel roared and launched himself toward his brother, only to be restrained by Sam. "LET ME GO, SAM!"

 

"Gabriel! You have to calm down," Sam pleaded. "Let him explain!" Satisfied that Gabriel wasn't going to launch himself at the angel again, he indicated for Castiel to continue.

 

He nodded and quickly told them what had happened between himself and Zora. How he had confronted her and she confessed to working for Eligos. He reiterated how he begged her to tell him everything, but she kept insisting she didn't know the answers to his questions. Then he explained what he saw when she threw him across the room, and how her eyes had turned yellow.

 

"So she's been playing us this whole time?!" Dean said, ire painting his features. "DAMMIT! How could we have been so blind?!"

 

"No! I refuse to believe it!" Gabriel shouted as he ripped from Sam's hold.

 

"Come on, Gabriel!" Dean said. "All the evidence is there! Eligos is her so-called _dad_ , and if I had to put money on it her _uncle_ is Adonis! It was probably her that caused that hurricane-force storm earlier! She's just as bad as them and we have to-"

 

"If you value your ability to walk I wouldn't finish that sentence, Dean!" Gabriel seethed as he narrowed his eyes dangerously at the elder Winchester.

 

"She's working with Eligos, Gabriel!" Dean shouted.

 

"I don't think she is, Dean," Sam interjected, earning him an exasperated look from his brother.

 

"Sam's right," Castiel agreed. "I think at first he forced her here, but her loyalties have changed. She hates Eligos. She said he tried to kill her tonight because she chose us!"

 

"Wait, Eligos put her in the condition we found her in tonight?!" Dean asked.

 

"No shit, Dean!" Gabriel shouted. "You're the one who just made the connection that he's her _dad_!"

 

Gabriel angrily turned and started to exit the war room.

 

"Gabe, where are you going?!" Sam asked.

 

"I need a minute!" Gabriel spat, and left before anyone could stop him.

 

Dean ran his hands through his hair as he tried to make sense of what was happening and sat down in one of the chairs around the map table. "OK, let's say she has changed sides and is now working against Eligos. How do we even find her? Better yet, what the hell is she?!"

 

"I don't know," Castiel admitted. "I couldn't get a lock on exactly where her power came from. I don't even think she meant to use it."

 

"What do you mean?" Sam asked as he moved to open his laptop still on the map table. He turned the device on and instantly loaded up a GPS program.

 

"When I touched her, I could feel her emotions. She was terrified."

 

"Of what?" Dean asked. "That you had figured her out?"

 

"No, that she was going to lose Gabriel, that she was going to lose all of us," Castiel said confidently. "She told me before she left that she was going to fix this, that she was going to stop Eligos. I really think she just needs our help."

 

"I got a signal on her phone!" Sam exclaimed, bringing his brother's and the angel's attention to him. "What the hell? How is that possible?" His face scrunched up in confusion as he stared at the screen.

 

"Sam, what is it?" Castiel asked as he and Dean moved to stand on either side of him.

 

"This is saying she's already in Seibert," Sam explained. "But, that's not possible. It's like four hours away."

 

"Guys," Dean started. "I hate to state the obvious, but what how do we know this isn't all one big trap?"

 

"Because of this."

 

The sound of Gabriel's voice had all three turning their heads in his direction as he entered the room holding up a folded piece of paper with his name written across it. He had his dark gray duffle bag in one hand and he set it on the table as he handed the paper to Sam. The younger Winchester unfolded it and he, Dean, and Castiel read the words written on the page silently.

 

_Gabriel,_

 

_I'm sorry, but I have to fix what I've messed up. I need to know what I am. I promise, I will come back to you. I love you. Please forgive me._

 

_-Zora_

 

Their eyes drifted back to Gabriel one by one as they finished reading.

 

"Those aren't the words of someone who wants to hurt any of us," Gabriel stated confidently. "Those are the words of someone who is scared and needs help." He paused to grab his bag. "I don't care what mistakes she's made or what some abusive piece of shit demon made her do because she was afraid he would kill her, which he almost did. I don't even care what she is. She could be a damn Hydra for all I care. I know who she is and I love her more than I've ever loved anything. I'm going to go get my girl and help her through whatever bullshit she needs me to. If the three of you want to stick by your claim of _family_ ," his eyes met Dean's as he spoke, "and stand by her and fight for her even though she's 'royally fucked up,' then you're more than welcome to join me."

 

Dean shared a brief look with his brother and Castiel, making sure they agreed before he turned back to Gabriel. "Let's go get her and bring her home."

 

It didn't take the four long to pile into the Impala and peel out of the bunker's garage to head to Seibert, Colorado as fast as the classic car could carry them. Just as Dean turned onto the black top road, he had to slam on the breaks and fight to control the vehicle as he swerved to avoid the man standing in the middle of his lane.

 

"Son of a bitch!" Dean shouted as he finally brought the car to a stop.

 

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed, his eyes locked on the man standing in the road. All eyes followed Sam's gaze. "That's Adonis!"

 

The four of them ripped out of the car, each of them pulling angel blades as they advanced on the demon.

 

"Whoa boys!" Adonis exclaimed, holding up his hands in a surrender gesture. "I'm just here to talk!"

 

"Bullshit!" Gabriel said, and moved to lunge at the demon, the others flanking him, ready to jump in as back up.

 

"If you want to help Zora, you'll listen to what I have to say."

 

They all froze, staring at Adonis with fury and confusion.

 

"Why do you want to help us?" Castiel asked.

 

"I don't want to help _you_ ! I want to help _her_!" Adonis spat.

 

"Why?!" Gabriel growled. "You didn't seem very helpful when she was lying on the floor of that hotel room beaten and bloody!"

 

"Who the fuck do think called you?! There was nothing I could do for her but get you to her!"

 

"Why did you let it happen in the first place?!" Dean demanded.

 

"I DIDN'T LET IT HAPPEN!" Adonis' eyes flashed to black as he turned a loathing look in the elder Winchester's direction. "Eligos found us and attacked her for protecting you idiots! She lied to us about Gabriel being able to sense his grace and he found out! When I tried to stop him, he attacked me too!"

 

"So you're working with him?" Sam asked. "Are you part of his legions?"

 

"No, I'm not part of his army, and I don't work for him anymore." Adonis sighed as he remembered his time with Eligos. "I was a soldier in the Trojan War. I can't even tell you now which side I fought on. But, I do remember making a deal with Eligos as I laid on the ground with my intestines on the outside of my body. I wanted to see my daughter one more time. So, he fixed me in exchange for seven thousand years of servitude. I didn't realize at the time I was selling my soul, I just wanted to see my little girl one more time, and I did. But that very same night, Eligos sent some of his demons to kill me. I paid my price and did his bidding for centuries. Just as my time was about to be up, he acquired Zora. I stayed for her and I've rebelled for her."

 

"You love her, don't you?" Sam asked.

 

"Like I did my own daughter, and I'll die before I let Eligos do what he has planned to her."

 

"What does he have planned?" Gabriel asked.

 

"Part of the deal to bring you back to life included Eligos promising Zora to the Empty Entity."

 

"Why would it want her?!" Castiel demanded. "What is she, Adonis?!"

 

"That's what I'm here to tell you. She is about to take steps that will lead her to the truth, and the four of you need to be aware of what you are walking into when you find her. I won't have her broken by seeing you reject her if you can't handle what she is."

 

"We're not going to reject her, Adonis," Gabriel said confidently.

 

The demon regarded him thoughtfully for a moment before he spoke again. "You really do love her, don't you?"

 

"I do."

 

"She loves you, too," Adonis told him. "I saw it in her eyes at the hotel. I just hope you still feel the same way once you know the truth."

 

* * *

 

 

Zora's scream came to an abrupt end when she realized that her car was no longer moving and she was sitting in a parking space in front of a hotel room door. Her eyes rounded as she swept her gaze about her. Where was she? Better yet, how the hell did she get there? Her eyes fell on the hotel sign by the main road and she quickly pulled the receipt she’d placed inside before her altercation with Castiel. She was exactly where she needed to be. Her gaze fell on the door and it, too, matched the receipt.

 

She sat in her car, just staring at the door for a moment. How had she gotten here? Deciding there were more important things to deal with, she shook her head to clear her thoughts and opened up the center console between her seats. Her hand closed around the small lock pick kit that Adonis had given her, and then her eye caught something that she knew had not been there before. Her mouth fell open as she pulled the bundle of white sage out to examine it. But, it was the note attached that had her breath catching in her throat.

 

_See you soon, kindred spirit._

 

"Thanks, mystery man," she mumbled, and placed the sage into the box in her passenger's seat.

 

Now all that was left was attaining the spell inside that hotel room. She made her way out of her car and crept up to the door, pressing her ear to the surface to listen for any movement before she set to using the lock pick utensils in her hand to pop the lock. Before she could get far, the door suddenly opened and she looked up with stunned eyes into the face of a fair-skinned, slender woman with red curls framing her face.

 

"You must be Zora," the woman said as she leaned against the door jam. "My name is Rowena."

 

"Um...hi," Zora said as she slowly stood. "Yeah, I'm Zora. How did you-"

 

"I felt the rush of energy when you dropped in. And Castiel just called," Rowena said as she moved to the side of the doorway. "Are you going to come in or just stand there?"

 

Zora cautiously walked inside the room and turned to face the witch as she closed the door.

 

"What did he say?" Zora asked, internally preparing for a fight. If the witch had talked to Castiel, she knew everything that had happened at the bunker.

 

Rowena crossed her arms over her chest as she studied the woman in front of her. "You know, Zora, sometimes even the best laid plans can go to hell. Whatever insane idea you have cooked up in your head, it will go a lot smoother if you let us help you."

 

Zora's eyes scanned the hotel room, seeing the yellow piece of paper on the nightstand with words of Latin written on it. She walked over and picked the parchment up.

 

"I need to prove to them I'm on their side, that I'm not loyal to Eligos," she said as she turned her attention to the witch.

 

"Then stay here, wait on them. They are all on their way as we speak.”

 

Zora debated the witch's suggestion for just a brief second before she shook her head. "No one is getting hurt because of me." She folded the paper the spell was on and shoved it into her pocket. Without anymore hesitation she turned and crossed the room, right past Rowena, and out the door.

 

Rowena sighed heavily as she turned to see Zora get back in her car through the open door. "Bollocks! The things I do for these boys!"

 

Zora shut her door and reached up to turn the key in the ignition when the passenger's door open. She watched with her mouth slightly agape as Rowena moved the box of spell ingredients to the floor and then sat down.

 

"What are you doing?" Zora asked as Rowena shut her door and put her seatbelt on.

 

The witch clasped her hands together in her lap and turned to the woman on her left. "Do you expect me to let you have all the fun with a spell of that caliber? Besides, you won't have much success without me."

 

"I know how to execute a spell," Zora said curtly.

 

"That may be the case, but the success of a spell has as much to do with your state of mind as your skill, and I dare say that right now, you are a little distracted."

 

Zora breathed an exasperated sigh and nodded as she put her car into drive. "Fine."

 

"We also might want to bring Kay back here to perform the spell," Rowena mused as Zora turned her car onto the main road. "Less chance of interruption that way."

 

Zora's eyes quickly cut to the witch. "And how exactly do you propose we get her out of there with all the security they have running around?"

 

"Just leave that to me, dear."

 

* * *

 

 

The passengers inside the Impala were silent as Dean drove down the dark highway toward Seibert, Colorado. All were lost in their own internal battles inside their heads. The bomb of information Adonis had dropped on them had been about as devastating as a nuke. None were sure exactly how to go about the matter, but the deafening silence that now hung in the air was heavy enough to suffocate them, and was a good indication that no one wanted to be the first to voice their opinion. As it stood, the only words that had been spoken between them since Adonis were Dean reminding them of the length of drive time ahead of them, and each played the scene over in their mind

 

_"So you see," Adonis had said. "This isn't some easy black and white decision you all have to make. Unfortunately, it_ **_is_ ** _one that needs to be made right here, right now."_

 

_The four men had stood in shocked silence, staring at the demon before them. Slowly, the Winchesters and Castiel had turned their attention to Gabriel. He was visibly having trouble with what he had just heard. The others waited patiently as he worked through the gut wrenching decision, and when he finally met their eyes, there wasn't a trace of doubt in them. He nodded to them and they all silently agreed._

 

_"We need to get a move on," Dean had said. "We got a four-hour drive ahead of us."_

 

_Adonis had watched as they got back into the classic car and drove away, all the while hoping he had made the right choice in telling them the truth._

 

Dean scrubbed a hand down his face, trying to clear the memory from his mind. He glanced to his brother, seeing him holding his phone lit up with the GPS locked on to Zora's cell phone signal, but his eyes were burning a hole into the glove compartment. He knew his brother could relate to Zora on some level and was no doubt pointing out the things their stories had in common. The elder Winchester's eyes flicked to his rearview mirror to see Castiel and Gabriel on opposite sides of the backseat staring out their windows, neither of them even pretending they weren't thinking about what they were barreling toward at ninety miles an hour. Castiel, obviously questioning himself on why he hadn't seen it in the first place, and Gabriel focused on who Zora was connected to.

 

"OK, someone has to say _something_!" Dean said, the heaviness between them finally becoming too much.

 

"What would you like us to say, Dean?" Gabriel spat, his tone dry and dripping with sarcasm. "Would you like us to comment on how utterly fucked up this whole damn situation is even by Winchester standards?! About the fucked up family tree Zora has?! How the poor woman has been abused and lied to for years?! Or would you rather talk about the earth-shattering knowledge she's about to find out that we can only _hope_ doesn't push her over an edge we can't pull her back from?!"

 

"Guys, stop!" Sam interjected before his brother could respond. "We all care about her, and we're all trying to deal with this. Ripping into each other isn't going to help anything. She needs us to show her more than ever that there is another way than what she's known for most of her life. She needs to know our feelings haven't changed." He turned in his seat to lock eyes with Gabriel. " _Especially_ yours."

 

"Sam is right," Castiel agreed. "We all know that you care about her the most, and that she feels the same. She told me herself that she loves you."

 

"I never doubted that," Gabriel replied. "What we shared earlier...I don't question her feelings or mine."

 

"Then we need to be focusing on what we are going to do once we get there," Dean said. "Because, if what Adonis thinks is going to happen, _actually happens_ , Eligos is going to come running with his sights set on Gabe and Zora, and we need to be prepared."

 

Gabriel growled as he ran his hands down his face. "If I had my grace this wouldn't be a problem! He wouldn't be able to touch her!"

 

"We've already decided that you having your grace right now is a bad idea, Gabe," Sam reminded him. "That's giving Eligos exactly what he wants."

 

"That's not what I mean," Gabriel replied quietly. "Earlier when we were lying together...I didn't even realize I was doing it until after I had done it a few times, but I was drawing Enochian protection sigils on her back with my finger. If I had been powered up...Eligos wouldn't be able to touch her."

 

Castiel's head tilted slightly in thought, going over his altercation with Zora.

 

"Even if you were powered up, would it even work, I mean, given what we know now?" Sam asked.

 

"It would have worked," Gabriel said with assurance.

 

"Are you sure it didn't?" Castiel asked, causing Sam and Gabriel's heads to swivel in his direction and Dean to glance at him in the rearview mirror.

 

"Cas, I'm human now, remember?" Gabriel said.

 

"I understand that," Castiel said. "But, it wouldn't be the first time your grace has reacted to protect her. It took her away from the pack of werewolves."

 

"Yeah, but we were literally standing in a place where my grace had bounced."

 

"Who's to say a tiny bit didn't linger around in both of you?" Castiel said. "Right before she threw me across the room, I felt the surge of two distinct power sources. One was hers, but the other I couldn't place. I didn't know what to think of it at the time, I just thought it was her. Then after hearing what Adonis said, I thought it was the spells on her. But...now-"

 

"Cas, it's not possible!" Gabriel insisted.

 

"What if it is?" Sam suggested.

 

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "We've had much crazier things happen. I mean, hell, everyone in this car has died at least once. Yet, here we are!"

 

Gabriel groaned in agitation. "Even if there is some marginal, buried possibility that it's even a little bit possible, we still can't count on it! We can't go in there hoping we are going to have this gigantic stroke of luck, cause the reality is, _none_ of us have that much good luck on our side! We need to come up with a plan that actually has a chance of working! Now, does anyone have any bright ideas?"

 

* * *

 

 

Zora quickly pushed the wheelchair that Kay sat in, staring blankly into Rowena's hotel room. With a quick glance around the parking lot, the witch shut and locked the door behind the two women. As Zora wheeled the old woman to the center of the room, Rowena placed the box of spell ingredients onto a small table in the corner of the room.

 

"I can't believe we pulled that off," Zora said as she took a seat on the foot of one of the beds.

 

"The beauty of magic, dear," Rowena commented with a self satisfied smirk. 

 

Zora simply nodded as she watched the witch go about preparing the spell to remove the block on Kay's mind. Her eyes fell on the old woman and she felt a tug in her chest. Who was this woman to her? Deep down she knew that she should know exactly who she was, but there was something holding the information just out of reach, and no matter how hard she tried to grasp at it, she just couldn't touch it.

 

"Are you sure you don't want to wait for them?" Rowena asked as she began to crush white sage in a metal bowl.

 

"Yes," Zora replied without hesitation. Her gaze drifted back to the witch, watching her as she carefully prepared the spell. "Rowena?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"What did Castiel tell you?"

 

Rowena's eyes cut to her for a moment before she continued her task. "Do you really have to ask?"

 

"Then why are you helping me?"

 

"Because he believes in you. They all do."

 

She hadn't been expecting that answer, and she honestly wasn't sure what to do with it. She knew they should hate her for what she had done,  they should be wanting to take her out along with Eligos and Adonis.

 

Adonis.

 

Her heart clenched in her chest. She hadn't heard from him since before Dean and Gabriel had found her on the floor of that hotel room. As mad as she was at the demon for keeping secrets from her, he was still the only being that had cared about her for years. The only one to show her any form of kindness until she came to the bunker, and the fear of what Eligos could have done to him outweighed any hard feelings she had. She just wanted to know if he was OK.

 

"Are you ready?"

 

Rowena's voice shattered through her thoughts and she brought her eyes up to meet the witch's gaze. Realizing that the red head was now sitting on her knees in front of Kay, Zora stood from the bed and moved to join her. With a few words of chanted Latin, the witch's eyes began to glow with a vivid purple hue and she struck a match that she promptly threw into the metal bowl. The ingredients inside quickly erupted into flames, then emitted a deep navy blue cloud of smoke that rose slowly, twisting through the room searching for a target. Without warning, the smoke shot to the ceiling, forming a tight sphere that started to revolve at a mind numbing pace before it split into two separate orbs. The two round balls of magic rocketed in two separate directions, one straight for Kay's chest where it burst and engulfed the woman, and the other crashing into Zora.

 

An ear piercing scream ripped from Zora's throat as the magic forced its way into her mouth and nose, filling her lungs to the point of almost bursting. Her head began to throb with pain that intensified with every breath she fought to take. The hotel room slowly started to fade from her vision, and blurry images of a time long ago started to fill her sight.

 

* * *

 

 

_A seven year old Zora watched from the floor of a bedroom as two women spoke frantically while they shoved clothes into a suitcase. The older of the two she recognized as Kay, the age she had been in the photo with the two of them. The other was much younger with long blonde hair and the same crystal blue eyes as Kay. The atmosphere in the room was heavy with dread and fear as the two women worked together to pack the things they deemed important._

 

_"Momma, where are we going?" Zora asked_

 

_Both women froze and turned toward the girl. Kay sighed and turned her gaze to the younger woman. "She deserves to know something, Emily."_

 

_Emily sighed and moved to sit next to Zora on the floor and pulled the little girl into her lap. "You and I are going on a little trip, baby."_

 

_"Is Nana coming, too?" Zora asked, glancing at Kay._

 

_"No, baby. It's just us," Emily said._

 

_"Why, Momma?"_

 

_Emily sighed deeply and wrapped her arms around her daughter. "To protect you."_

 

_"But, I can protect us!" Zora argued as she raised her little hands in the air. A transparent shimmering dome appeared around the three of them, and Zora smiled proudly. "I've been practicing, Momma!"_

 

_Zora dropped her hands as Kay knelt down beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder. The forcefield around them faded away as the little girl looked at her._

 

_"You're doing very well, my little love," Kay started. "But, for this trip Nana and Momma are going to have to hide your powers. You won't be able to use them at will anymore."_

 

_"Why?" Zora asked, her face falling in disappointment._

 

_Kay looked to her daughter as she searched for the words._

 

_"Because there are people that would try to use your gifts for bad things," Emily said sadly._

 

* * *

 

 

_Zora huddled in a corner of the hotel room she was in with her mother. Emily stood protectively in front of her as a man wearing a stark white suit entered through the door that had just been blown off of its hinges._

 

_"Hello, Emily," he said, his southern drawl making Zora sick to her stomach. "It's been a while."_

 

_"You won't touch her, Asmodeus!" Emily growled._

 

_"Now, now, dear. She's as much mine as she is yours."_

 

_"NO SHE'S NOT!"_

 

_Emily pulled a revolver from the back of her jeans and aimed it at the demon's head. The cackle that came out of Asmodeus was sinister._

 

_"You know that won't hurt me, Emily."_

 

_Emily smirked and pulled the trigger. The bullet sailed through the air and landed in the middle of Asmodeus' forehead. The smile quickly fell from his lips when he realized he was frozen to the spot._

 

_"Devil's trap bullets," Emily said, She turned to pick up her daughter, then ran out the door with her._

 

_"ELIGOS!!!!!!!!" Asmodeus roared as Emily jumped into her car._

 

* * *

 

 

_Zora watched with tears falling down her small face as her mother navigated the car down a dirt road. She could see the determination in Emily's eyes, but the woman couldn't hide the undercurrent of fear rolling through her._

 

_"Momma," Zora said in a shaky voice._

 

_"Everything is going to be OK, baby." Emily said quickly. "Momma has a friend in South Dakota that has a safe house we can go to."_

 

_"Momma, who was that man?"_

 

_Emily pursed her lips as tears filled her eyes. "Zora, honey, this isn't how I wanted you to find out. We were just waiting until you were older and could understand. Do you remember when Nana and I told you about where your powers came from?" She glanced at her daughter and waited for her to nod. "Baby... Asmodeus… he's-"_

 

_The car suddenly came to an abrupt stop as it hit an immovable force. The tires spun, throwing up dirt, as a man appeared in front of them in a five-piece suit and short brown hair. His eyes quickly flashed to black as he brought his fist through the center of the hood._

 

_"NO!" Emily screamed, and turned to her daughter again. "Zora! RUN!"_

 

_Zora grasped at her door handle but quickly pulled her hand away as flames suddenly engulfed the door. "MOMMA!!!!" she screamed._

 

_A window shattered and Zora spun around in her seat in time to see the man reaching through her mother's now broken window, trying to grab her._

 

_"You won't get away with this, Eligos!" Emily yelled as she fought against him._

 

_"I already have, bitch!" Eligos yelled, and snapped her neck with his bare hands._

 

_Zora pulled her knees to her chest and started screaming. She could feel a power twisting in her chest, growing and pushing until it snapped._

 

_"HOW?!" Eligos shouted as a rush of energy plowed into him, sending him flying through the air into the trees on the side of the road. "You're gonna pay for that you little shit!" he threatened as he pulled himself from the ground. Sirens in the distance caught his attention and he cursed under his breath. "Guess I'll have to do this quickly." The demon Duke snapped his fingers and the entire car was swallowed by flames._

 

* * *

 

 

_Zora screamed at the top of her lungs as she desperately tried to fight against the painful grip Asmodeus had on her forearm in the sterile hospital room. He simply rolled his eyes at her lame attempt to break away. That is, until her foot connected to his shin. He growled in anger and brought his free fist hard against the back of her head. The world spun for the little girl as she sunk to the ground, darkness quickly taking over her vision._

 

* * *

 

 

_Zora groaned as she opened her eyes. She was lying on a twin size bed placed in the corner of a dimly lit room. Her gaze drifted around the room as she started to recall everything that had happened. Terror flooded her system, and when she saw the tall man with shaggy red hair leaning against the wall near a window she shrieked and folded her body into a ball._

 

_"Please don't hurt me!" she pleaded as tears fell from her eyes._

 

_"I'm not going to hurt you, child," the man said as he turned cold eyes to her. "Just pipe down."_

 

_"I want my momma!!" Zora cried as her tears started to inhibit her breathing._

 

_The man's eyes softened at the little girl's plea and he calmly walked over to kneel next to the bed. He placed a hand softly on her shoulder and she looked up at him. "Hey, it's alright. My name is Adonis. What's yours?"_

 

_"Z-Zora."_

 

_"That's a pretty name."_

 

_Zora sniffled as her body relaxed a little. "Can you get me out of here?_

 

_Adonis sighed as his eyes turned apologetic. "Unfortunately, I'm as stuck here as you are for the moment."_

 

_The door behind them swinging open caught Adonis' attention, and he stood as he turned to face Asmodeus and Eligos. Zora cowered behind him, using his body to block hers._

 

_"The brat's finally awake?" Eligos asked as he peered around Adonis._

 

_"You realize the two of you are wasting your time?" Adonis said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Her powers have been bound. Her human half is the only thing coming through."_

 

_"I saw her use her powers!" Eligos spat._

 

_"She watched you set her door on fire and kill her mother, Eligos! Of course she had a subconscious reaction!" Adonis threw back._

 

_"Is there anything that can be done to lift the binding?" Asmodeus asked, coming around to where he could fully see Zora. The little girl scurried into a sitting position and pulled her knees to her chest, her arms wrapping around her legs. "She's kind of useless to me without her powers."_

 

_"It's a spell," Adonis clarified. "Spells can be broken."_

 

_"Then find a way to break it," Asmodeus said, then turned to Eligos. "You will store her for me until that is done."_

 

_"WHAT?!" Eligos bellowed. "I'm not a babysitter, Asmodeus!"_

 

_The demon prince's eyes turned yellow as he stalked toward Eligos. "But you are my subordinate and you_ **_will_ ** _do as I say or I'll lock you up in a cell in the deepest reaches of hell!"_

 

_"Yes, sir," Eligos growled._

 

_"Good." A wicked grin took over Asmodeus' features. "I suggest wiping her memory. It will be easier if she doesn't remember what she is or any of what has happened over the past few days. I don't want her to remember me, either."_

 

_"What would you have us tell her to believe?" Eligos asked._

 

_"I don't care, just come up with something." Asmodeus walked back over to Zora and looked down at the girl as she shook with fear. "Look at me, brat!"_

 

_Zora timidly looked up at him, pure terror swimming in her eyes. "W-w-who are you?"_

 

_Asmodeus' smile turned from wicked to sinister as he brought his face close to hers. "I'm your father."_


End file.
